RICKI LEWIS
4319 Redwood Ave, #7 Marina del Rey, CA 90292
Phone (310) 268-0550 Mobile (310) 729-6561
[email protected]FASHION INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL
Active Wear Designer
Talented and business-savvy fashion industry professional with a track record of design and business contributions with leading global brands (K-Swiss, Warnaco/Authentic Fitness, Adidas, Reebok, Nike, Beach Rays, Bogner, Fera Skiwear, Hang Ten, Speedo, So Low, Marika, etc.).
Innovator and pioneer of cutting edge computer technology in the CAD design process. Leverages keen understanding of industry demands to meet critical financial and time budgets in a high-pressure, deadline-driven environment. Proven ability to tap into emerging trends. Complete knowledge and understanding of all technical fibers including: Lycra®, Supplex®, Coolmax®, Modal®, MicroModal®, Tensel®, Neoprene®, Compression Fabrics, etc.
—Key Areas of Expertise—
Creative Design ~ Production Artwork ~ Illustration & Technical Sketches ~ Tech Packs ~ Design Direction ~ Product Development ~ Brand Building ~ Merchandise Planning ~ Trend Forecasting ~ Concept Development ~ Project Management ~ Garment & Screen Print Production Process ~ Oral & Written Communication
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Women’s and Men’s Active Sportswear & Surf Wear Designer
SAPPHIRE LOUNGE INC., Anaheim, CA – 2011 - 2012
$50M manufacturer of women and men’s apparel with sales to major US retail chains and specialty stores. Lines include: active sportswear, denim, surf wear, knits, outerwear, and casual sportswear.
Designed garments and graphics for swim & surf, knits, and active sportswear private-label collections. Provided tech packs, camera-ready artwork, and specifications for all designs; approved lab-dips, washing, treatments, and fabric quality.
• Instrumental in driving branded business up 15% as compared to previous year of 8%.
• Sourced appropriate fabric and findings for each new design.
• Successfully communicated with overseas factories on a daily basis to insure proper fit and understanding of all design details.
• Monitored all sample making and fit sessions to insure proper fit and ease of movement.
• Performed lab tests for fabric and garment wash-ability and stretch recovery.
Women’s and Men’s Active Sportswear Designer
NATIONAL STORES, INC., Gardena, CA 2009 - 2011
$300M retailer with 200 stores in six western states. Lines include: casual sportswear, active sportswear, outerwear, and accessories, for men, juniors, and children.
Designed apparel and graphics of men’s private-label (Sahara Club) collections. Provided tech packs, final artwork, and specifications for all designs; approved lab-dips and fabric quality. Oversaw entire division; directed two assistants in import department.
• Instrumental in driving import sales of women and men’s private label business 20% as compared to previous year of 5%.
• Implemented new production of active sportswear at two overseas factories.
• Monitored and reported on seasonal production at each factory producing 1200 dozen units monthly per style—a production increase of 35% over previous year.
• Created successful branding, name recognition and marketing for new lines; collaborated with offshore printers to produce hangtags and labels.
Active Wear / Textile / Graphic Designer
FANG CLOTHING CO., Gardena, CA 2007 - 2009
$150M manufacturer of junior and girls apparel with sales to major US retail chains and department stores
Designed active sportswear, wovens, knits, sweaters, and tops for “Dolled Up” division. Created camera-ready artwork and color separations for textile & graphic designs; produced line sheets for sales representative presentations to store buyers. Supervised assistants; evaluated garment fit delegated to patternmakers.
• Expanded client base by adding casual knits to line, differentiating collection from overall company production emphasis on screen print tops.
• Transformed division into 16% of sales—a 6% increase over previous year, totaling $24M.
• Consistently met tight deadlines while adding 50 to 100 new designs to line monthly.
• Introduced catalog system for all past designs and output specifications, providing easily accessible reference.
Active & Casual Sportswear Designer
R.L.D.C., Los Angeles, CA 1996 - 2006
Provided apparel design, and merchandising services to leading garment manufacturers. Created CAD artwork, specifications, and tech packs for overseas factories; designed fabrics, advertisements and layouts, graphic tee shirts; conceived marketing and packaging concepts. Designed collections across diverse categories including denims, bottoms, active wear, casual sportswear, outerwear, sweaters, and accessories for men, women, and contemporary.
• Designed entire women and men’s collections for Dragonfly/Rock 'n Roll Alliance, for seven years, (active sportswear, tee shirts, jackets, sweaters, graphics and knit shirts) instrumental in driving company growth from $5M to $48M.
• Developed premier concept and designs first four years for Lycra® based women’s sportswear—Marika/The Weekend Exercise Co.— that generated $8M in first year with subsequent increases of 35% (second year), 50% (third year) and 60% (fourth year). Designs were worn by 1st place women’s Ironman Triathlon winner and appeared in Tom Petty video “Free Falling” and the Tracey Ullman Show.
• Expanded product line for K-Swiss Footwear Company to include apparel and graphics, for active sportswear, for women and men. Developed private label programs for Footlocker, Lady Foot Locker and Champs. Designs appeared on TV for the Raid-Galoise endurance race. Created logo-driven graphics for new lines, that generated first year sales of $2.5M with a second year increase of 250%.
EDUCATION / ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• BS in Fashion Design—DREXEL UNIVERSITY, Philadelphia, PA—Honors—Board of Trustees Grant
• AA in Textile Science—PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF TEXTILES, Philadelphia, PA
• Professional Development—Patternmaking Workshop—Mayer School of Fashion Design, NYC
• Publications—Featured in Sport Style Magazine article: From the House & Mouse of Lewis—Design appeared in Women’s Wear Daily, Magic Supplement, February 2009
• Computer Skills—Mac and PC Proficient—Applications: Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, Quark Express, Page Maker, Flash, Poser, Strata 3D, Maya, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Foreign Languages / Cross Cultural Experience—Verbal and Written French and Spanish; Extensive business travel throughout Asia and Europe
• Interests—Visiting art museums, collecting art books, shopping.
• Business Community Activities—Member—Fashion Group (board member, welcoming committee)
