April Blades Email & Phone Number

New York, Ny, Us

New York, New York, United States

Ensure CK remained a competitive manufacturer from a cost and quality standpointMonitor domestic inventory, forecast sales and create production schedules in order to meet sales demand, maximize turnover and limit out of stocksMonitor and order components for kits as needed based on production forecastsInitiate Purchase Orders for customer orders and domestic inventory needsTrack and report on all production current and forecasted productionWork with labs, production teams and factories to ensure quality assurance throughout the production process and ensure all safety standards are metFacilitate, initiate and maintain safety testing documentation for all productsMaintain current knowledge on the market and industry trendsManaged T&A and ensured deadlines were being met along the pre-production lifecycleCollaborated with Design and PD to ensure packaging and content approvals for PP & TOP samples has executed as per the retailer and licenseeCommunicate daily with overseas factoriesApprove all carton markings and shipping labelsCommunicate with planning and sales team on delivery extensionsReview the production recap weekly to ensure on time delivery to the domestic warehouse

New York City Metropolitan Area

Collaborated with CFT & vendors from initial concept inspiration/R&D, protos, final approvals & productionOnboarded & managed seasonal vendor matrix, strategic allocation plan and annual performance scorecardsMet AUC/IMU goals with strategic cost-engineering and raw material leveraging while maintaining vessel deliveryCreated and managed seasonal detailed T&A’s for development & production while maintaining milestone due datesBuilt & maintained organized daily WIP charts to monitor R&D/development and production throughout PLC Daily correspondence with overseas partners to drive factory capabilities, speed & flexibility & cost managementTraveled with Design to China & India to implement development, cost negotiate and drive key corporate initiativesIdentified key base qualities to bank resulting in reduced cost and improved production lead-timesLead timely purchase order issuance, generated average of 1,000 PO’s per year via ZymmetryPartnered with Product Integrity team to create a streamlined SOP for development and production quality guidelinesMaintained healthy development to adoption ratio while reconciling & maintaining seasonal development budgetWorked with CFT & Color Team to issue accurate strike off and lab dip comments with the use of a spectrophotometer Collaborated with Design & Tech team to create standard fit guides for Soft Accessories and Ponchos/Kimonos; attended fittings with Design and communicated daily comments to oversea vendorsPartnered with Marketing & Design on packaging initiativesLead (3) direct reports & summer interns, expanding product engineering and technical knowledge, delegated daily task to maximize teamwork and efficienciesHeld daily advancement discussions and created detailed succession plans and goals resulting in promotionsEncouraged team building activities to yield engagement; comp shopping, volunteered at In God’s Love We Deliver and attended Cotton Inc/training coursesAcclimated to shifting business needs

New York City Metropolitan Area

Manage vendor direct communication on construction, quality, and cost negotiations to production Seasonal travel to China for face to face negotiations, spearhead key initiatives and strategies Lead open line sample strategy with China and India vendors based on current trends, resulted in +80K additional units & 50% of the jewelry business for 2014 Exceed IMU goals for profitability without sacrificing aesthetic and quality reducing AUC $1.50 Drive cost savings via vessel ship mode equating to nearly $500K (+5 IMU pt spike) for 2014 Based on trend, proposed shipping 360 Pearl Stud in 30 days, resulting in 42% sell thru in 4wks Redcued bulk leadtime from (90) to (60) days; maintaining on time production and deliveries Facilitated 30 day bulk leadtime of 46K unit chase program through effective management of design process, speed & flexibility and CFT partnership Partner with DC partners to avoid potential late deliveries due to West Coast port strikes Manage QC through consistent updates to quality manual and seasonal sample reviews with vendorsCreated seasonal and yearly vendor score card to measure performance and sustain expectations Create and manage seasonal detail meetings with CFT members; create all comment sheets and follow up with vendors directly Create and manage seasonal vendor allocation plan and track development numbers each season Instrumental in hiring Fa'14 FIT intern with exposure to various areas in and outside of Sourcing Created and implemented LOFT standard fits, plating colors and SOP resulting in efficiency, streamlined work load, and reduced sample submission Manage approvals and deadlines for Fa'15 Ann Taylor re-packaging initiative for Ann Taylor accessories directly with Marketing team and packaging supplier, Avery Dennison Developed direct report to broaden product development and jewelry engineering skills, support growing internal outlet business, and prioritize day to day task

New York City Metropolitan Area

Partnered with CFT & vendors to land on cost appropriate product up front Created all comment sheets & technical specs for vendors to develop production ready samples Traveled to China for cost negotiations, factory tours, & review protos for following season Cost engineered product to exceed IMU goals while maintaining design aesthetic Created & drove development & PD calendars each season to manage time and action timeline Cut down PO lead time from 90 to 75 days to remain trend right Maximized cost savings shipping via vessel, saving +$160K 3% IMU spike for 2011 Maintained on time deliveries with calendar discipline and partnered with DC partners in Kentucky Expanded vendor base with (2) new vendors to help support business needs and cost structure Work with QC manager, based in China, to help enforce & maintain quality standards & monitor production status of all programs each season Seasonal comp shopping & store visits to remain competitive with cost, quality, fit and trends Spearheaded cost savings initiative for outlet substituting Real Gold plating to Imitation Gold Partnered seasonally with vendors on an eco-friendly method of shipping

New York City Metropolitan Area

Weekly CFT meetings to review new development, approvals, and assortment Maintained up to date daily charts reflecting development, assortment, and vendor allocation Created all comment sheets & technical specs for vendors to develop production ready samples Worked closely with Sr. Manager to improve costing with substitution of materials and cost negotiations Created & drove development & PD calendars each season to manage time and action timeline Cut down PO lead time from 90 to 75 days to remain trend right

New York City Metropolitan Area

Created & sent costing/tech packs to overseas vendorsReviewed all artwork & sent to overseas vendors for developmentSent fabric development to overseas vendorsCreated print quality & embroidery technique library for referenceReviewed all lab dips, fabric qualities, trims, & strike-offs for approvalReviewed all samples from Proto/ Fit to Production for approvalSubmitted all NCAA artwork to ‘CLC’ (Collegiate Licensing Company) for review by schoolsSubmitted required samples/fabric from pre-production - production to ‘CTL’ (Consumer Testing Laboratories) for consumer safety testingCorresponded daily via email & phone with overseas vendorsWorked closely with Operations/Production to meet all delivery datesIssued approval letters after completion of approval process

New York City Metropolitan Area

Researched & analyzed various demographics/psychographics to determine designs that best fit the end customers of the diverse licenseesDeveloped denim/woven seasonal inspiration boards & sourced trim & maintained trim librariesDesigned denim line for the end customer of the various countriesBuilt technical packs with extensive detailed sketches, trim sheets, and pitch sheets in Web PDMBuilt line plans providing style details such as sketch/color ways/washes & fabrications in Web PDMTracked, managed, & organized all samples from proto – pre productionInvolved in fittings from proto – pre production samples to be manufactured for the various licenseesCommunicated & worked closely with tech on all fit specifications from proto – pre productionCommunicated with HK agent on a daily basis regarding proper execution of style detailsWorked closely with product development to arrive at various washes and treatmentAssisted in showroom merchandising set-up for seasonal line presentationResponsible for approval of lab dips, denim back-pocket/technique mock-ups, denim and woven graphics & novelty trim from proto – pre production*ACHIEVEMENT: Made responsible for designing the denim line & executing all technical pertinent information, while working at an associate level.

Associates: Fashion Design & Merchandising, Fashion/Apparel Design

Fashion Design