Akki Zhao Email & Phone Number

New York, New York, United States

AKKI® IS AN EAST X WEST, LUXURY FASHION BRAND FOUNDED IN 2022 THAT MERGES MULTI-CULTURAL ARTISTRY WITH TIMELESS, BOLD, EMPOWERING SILHOUETTES. AKKI® REPRESENTS AN IMMIGRANT’S DREAM - FROM OSAKA, JAPAN TO CHONGQING, CHINA TO NEW YORK CITY - ENCAPSULATING JAPAN’S “WABI-SABI'' PHILOSOPHY, USING EASTERN ART & TEXTILES AND REIMAGINING THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF INNOVATION WITH A PERSONAL, TASTEFUL TOUCH. WITH A DEEP COMMITMENT TO MULTI-CULTURAL CONNECTION, AKKI® EXEMPLIFIES THE IDEA OF FEARLESS REPRESENTATION OF YOUR HERITAGE BY EMBRACING YOUR STORY. “IT’S BIGGER THAN US. IT’S BIGGER THAN FASHION."FEATURED ON COMPLEX, HYPEBEAST, HARPER’S BAZAAR, FORBES. COLLABORATIONS INCLUDE: NIKE, ATMOS X ADIDAS, PUMA, SAMSUNG, 88RISING, STAPLE PIGEON, MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: KNICKS X CAVALIERS, WELCOME TO CHINATOWN. STYLING GLOBAL ARTISTS AND CELEBRITIES I.E. AGNEZ MO, MARIAH ANGELIQUE, DARKIEL, VIBARCO (MALUMA’S SONGWRITER), JAMES RODRIGUEZ, MATT PARIS, AUDREY NUNA. THE MISSION IS TO PRESERVE AND MODERNIZE ASIAN ART AND CULTURE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

Remote

Graphic Designer/ Photographer/ Creative Director + StylistBuilt a service-based business serving 25+ clients in graphic design, photography, visual branding, custom design/ styling needs. Celebrities include Pusha T, James Rodriguez, Meg Donnelly, Agnez Mo, Matt Paris.Creative Direction in fashion, product, assisting in and leading campaigns for brands include: Foot Locker x Nike, Adidas, Vans, Coach, Nat Geo, TheBodyShop, Jcpenney, Hummel Sport, Brooklyn Nets, Timbuk2, Graphic Design: Designed official marketing assets i.e. social banners, event flyer & brochure for MIAMIWEB3 Summit x CTH/ Fundamental Labs/ Atlas Group

New York, New York, United States

• Strategic brand development & partnerships, GTM of 30+ fashion and footwear collaborations i.e.) Post Malone x Crocs, Adidas x South Park, Jaden Smith x New Balance, Rhude x Starter, VandythePink x Clarks• Develop, create, and pitch creative commercial & energy-driven collaborations to external partners i.e. Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Puma, Vans, Crocs, Polo Ralph Lauren, Asics, Clarks, Sperry, Timberland• Lead all Project Greenhouse social channels – content curation (daily posting), community management, setting KPI’s• Create lead agency briefings, creative direction for global campaigns, app content, look-books, and motion assets• Support marketing/product efforts: influencer seeding/PR, event, outreach, SKU creation, product launch on APP

New York, Ny, United States

• Develop innovative, scale-driven concepts and activation to support external partners i.e. Nike, Adidas, Puma, New Balance• Introduce new partnerships, monitor emerging cultural trends and moments across youth culture focusing on Gen-Z• Create, maintain, and facilitate quarterly roadmaps, strategy decks, assets, and recaps to ensure integration across North America, Asia, all divisions in alignment with company objectives• Support the Foot Locker Women’s team in driving new energy & scale opportunities: 20+ fashion trend forecasts and analytics to support internal buying team develop strategic priorities for Foot Inc’s largest partners: Nike & Adidas

Greater New York City Area

• Executed weekly campus-wide “missions” by marketing Daniel Wellington on social media to drive brand awareness as well as facilitating engagement.• Increased sales by creating and using high quality UGC (User-Generated Content) on Instagram for the students of Fashion Institute of Technology.

New York, New York

• Create and pitch 30+ comprehensive, emerging fashion trend presentations monitoring creators, brands, and technology • Execute new graphics, designs for 12+ seasons and 30+ fabric mills working with international manufactures, product, PR

• Developed CADS for Victoria’s Secret, Tommy Hilfiger, Juicy Couture, Kenneth Cole, Walmart, INC and other brands.• Researched lingerie, sleepwear and active wear trends of 2018/2019 and created inspiration boards.• Photographed and retouched photos of garment samples.

New York, New York

• Responsible for organizing and delivering garment samples, fabrics and patterns• Created textile prints on Adobe Photoshop by illustrating, changing layout and colors• Built relations with the design team, suppliers, manufacturers, PR team• Prepared inspiration boards and sourced fabrics from all textile mills/provided guidance around costing and specification• Photographed and edited all sample garments

New York, New York

• Trend research for fall collections of the contemporary market• Developed line sheet on Excel to be sent to buyers and different retailers such as Saks 5th Avenue and Ruelala• Responsible for construction, alterations, cutting, and sewing• Assisted with fabric selection

Guiyang, Guizhou, China

• Researched Chinese fashion trends, colors and history including the 56 minority cultures of China• Assisted with various events, such as organizing an exhibition at the Guiyang Expo• Proposed ideas and illustrations of new trends inspired by both the Eastern and Western cultures• Designed a collection, developed fashion patterns, and constructed fashion sample garments• Collaborated with photographers, models, and other designers to produce photo shoots for Lin’s clothing line

Bachelor Of Fine Arts (Bfa), Fashion/Apparel Design, Dean'S List

Activities and Societies: Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Club Runway 27, Fashion Art and Design Club, The Zhivalian Magazine • Selected.

Bachelor'S Degree, Fashion/Apparel Design, 3.7

Vice President of FIT Study Abroad Student Government

Ged, Fine/Studio Arts, General

Activities and Societies: National Art Honors Society, Volleyball, Peer Mentor • National Art Honors Society member- created intricate.