Naomi Sasaki-Whalen

SUMMARY

Accomplished fashion design professional passionate about creating product that makes the recipient happy. Possesses a mix of design and product development skills.  Balances creativity with organization and follow through.  

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SKILLS

Creative Design, Concept, Color, Trend, Fabric Development, Sketching and Illustration, Print, Pattern Design, Specs, Tech Packs, Fitting, Sourcing, Leadership, Management, Organization, Communication, Attention to Detail, Problem Solving, Adaptability, Collaboration, Time Management; MS Office, Adobe, PLM software

 

EXPERIENCE

WHOLESALE BOUTIQUE/VIV&LOU | Myrtle Beach, SC

Product Development Manager | Designer  2015-2020

Branded and private label e-commerce retailer of apparel, accessories, bags and home products.  Led and managed the creation of product designs and timelines for proprietary items and prints; generated designs, specs, technical design and artwork and supervised thier send out.  Sourced new factories and materials.

• Set the development calendar, initiated and drove development from conception to commercialization.

• Managed a creative team, providing direction and assigning projects most suited to each.

• Oversaw sampling, supplier communication and approvals. Tracked timing, pricing, labels, tags and PO’s.

• Implemented product development processes and standards with clear documented parameters.  Reduced development and production issues by roughly eighty percent.

 

AERO TECH DESIGNS | Pittsburgh, PA          

Apparel Director 2012-2015

Performance cycling, lifestyle and accessories e-commerce retailer.  Provided creative direction and team management for the development of branded and custom products.  Responsible for all areas of design and development up to production hand off. 

• Guided the team in product conception, prototyping, testing (raw materials and garment) to style finalization. Managed the in house sample room and fit process. Research trends and opportunities for improvements and newness.  Contributed designs and prints, launched branded accessories at high margins.

• Led a team of four in the areas of graphic design, specs, tech packs, technical design and patternmaking.

• Standardized and documented the design and development process, improved productivity.

 

FREELANCE DESIGNER AND ILLUSTRATOR 2008-Present

Clients include; J. Peterman, Dicks Sporting Goods (Private Label), Avenue, Chico’s F.A.S., Vineyard Vines, Ralph Lauren, Aero Tech Designs.

• Trend reports, creative designs, illustrations, presentation boards, tech packs and PLM implementation.

• Categories included women’s, men’s, kids, and accessories.

 

AVENUE| Rochelle Park, NJ                                                        

Designer | Women’s | Denim | Activewear  2006-2008

Women’s specialty Plus Size retailer with approximately 500 retail stores.  Responsible for 90 million retail volume.

• Set seasonal trend, color, fabric, styling, wash and trim direction. Travel for R & D.  Presented trends and overviews to VPs, Merchants, Planners and Product Development teams. Strategized with merchant partners in planning line assortment and expectations.  Designs consistently in the top 10-20 of sales.

• Created product tracking sheets consisting of product drawings and information such as assigned vendor, fabric, wash/color/trims, sampling status and sales samples ETD, centralizing all work in progress information and eliminating confusion.

 

LILLY PULITZER| King of Prussia, PA                                                                                                                      

Senior Designer | Women’s | Casual Sportswear | Activewear  2002-2005

Oversaw the product, print pattern and spec development of Women’s active and casual sportswear, lounge, golf, tennis and swimwear for an iconic resort lifestyle brand. 

• Led the sourcing of fabrics, trims, washes, techniques, surface and silhouette design appropriate to seasonal design concepts, end use and brand image.  Supervised approvals and garment fittings. Products often ranked in the top 10-20 in sales with a margin of approximately 67 percent.

• Designs published in several publications (WWD, Golf for Women, Self) and featured in the Bryant Park 7th on 6th runway show.

 

SUNRISE BRANDS| Los Angeles, CA                                                                                                                       

Senior Designer | Women’s | Private Label |Denim | Woven 1999-2002

Manufacturer of branded and private label apparel with a sales volume of approximately 87 million.  (Formerly Tarrant Apparel). 

• Responsible for the creation and merchandising of six corporate and six customer specific apparel lines per year .  Customer base included Target, The Limited, and Walmart among others.

• Directed the development of styles, fabrics, washes and trims; generated assortment plans for raw materials and merchandise in line with corporate goals.

• Extensive travel for R&D, trend/fabric/trim/style inspiration, customer presentations and collaboration.

 

WEEKEND EXERCISE COMPANY (MARIKA) |San Diego, CA                                                                 

VP of Design  1997-1999

Multimillion-dollar active and dance wear manufacturer, now the Marika Group.

Supervised a team of six.  Directed fabric, color and styling process from concept to sign off.  

• Developed assortment plans in line with dollar and unit goals. Managed costs, implemented and maintained budgets and calendars.

• Partnered with department heads and team members on catalog layouts, photo-shoots, sales meetings, line presentations production planning and quality control.

 

THE LIMITED| Columbus, OH                                                                                                                                   

Senior Designer-Women’s Knit and Woven Casual Sportswear and Activewear  1995-1997

Women’s clothing retailer.

Led the in-house design team with a focus on  casual and activewear.  Responsible for the seasonal direction, design and evolution of product from initial concept to final style adoption.

• Developed fabrics, washes and finishes.  Oversaw all approvals (style, fit, wash, fabric, trim, art).

 

RALPH LAUREN| New York, NY                                                                                                                        

Conceptual Artist/Assistant Design Director, Polo Sport-Women’s Activewear  1992-1994

Iconic American retailer.

• Initiated and drove all aspects of concept, research, design and development for ten lines per season.  Prepared and presented extensive conceptual presentations, mood/fashion illustrations, flats and technical detail sketches by concept/category.

 

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Fashion; PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN| New York, NY – May 1989