After founding Ubantu Studio in early April 2020, I acquired the brand OnceWas, which I have been Creative director & designer of since its inception in 2015, along with my national sales manager, Linda Cerny-Smith.The company name “Ubantu”, is derived from the Nguni Bantu word “Ubuntu” meaning human kindness & connectedness or can be translated as “I am because you are”. My vision is to build a company based on the ideals of collaboration & humanity, recognising that success is not… Show more After founding Ubantu Studio in early April 2020, I acquired the brand OnceWas, which I have been Creative director & designer of since its inception in 2015, along with my national sales manager, Linda Cerny-Smith.The company name “Ubantu”, is derived from the Nguni Bantu word “Ubuntu” meaning human kindness & connectedness or can be translated as “I am because you are”. My vision is to build a company based on the ideals of collaboration & humanity, recognising that success is not achieved alone & that we are better & stronger together. Along with my loyal team, I aim to foster & promote collaborative relationships within the fashion industry & continually innovate & strive to add value to brand partners, customers & suppliers, focused on the ethos of “We are because you are”. Show less

After joining Melbourne based apparel wholesaler Mission Brown in 2011, I was responsible for taking the brand (then SpencerLacy) in a more fashion focussed direction & rebranding the label as OnceWas in early 2015 resulting in a significant increase in stockists, an increase in sales by over 80% & achieving the highest retail sell throughs for major stockists such as Husk.Overview of role:- Reinvented the brand identity by establishing a clear design direction.- Trend… Show more After joining Melbourne based apparel wholesaler Mission Brown in 2011, I was responsible for taking the brand (then SpencerLacy) in a more fashion focussed direction & rebranding the label as OnceWas in early 2015 resulting in a significant increase in stockists, an increase in sales by over 80% & achieving the highest retail sell throughs for major stockists such as Husk.Overview of role:- Reinvented the brand identity by establishing a clear design direction.- Trend forecasting; designed & produced full seasonal collections. - Analysed sales, quantified orders & maximised best-seller results.- Managed all range planning, price structures & cost negotiations.- Streamlined development processes to improve delivery timing, garment quality & profitability.- Led internal teams: production, Q.A & marketing. - Liaised with off-shore factories on sample development & production.- Sourced exceptional quality fabrics, trims & prints. Co-ordinated CMT fabric orders.- Design exclusive textile prints.- Developed creative visual directions for marketing campaigns, photoshoots, campaign imagery, lookbooks, newsletters, sales & marketing collateral.- Produced & styled photoshoots.- Styled & co-ordinated brand events & runways (such as the MSFW).- Presented ranges to agents & prospective accounts – both nationally & internationally.- Sourced overseas suppliers & fostered strong relationships with Asian manufacturing companies.- Oversaw all aspects of the brand, including website design & retail boutiques. Show less

At S+R I managed key fashion wholesale accounts including Witchery, Kmart & Susan Grae.Overview of role/achievements:- Established and grew key accounts to $11,000,000 in under 2 years- Fostered & built excellent relationships on all accounts.- Consistently exceeded sales budgets, reduced costs to improve profit margins.- Overseas research trips to identify key style, fabric and colour trends - translated these into commercial product for specific client briefs. -… Show more At S+R I managed key fashion wholesale accounts including Witchery, Kmart & Susan Grae.Overview of role/achievements:- Established and grew key accounts to $11,000,000 in under 2 years- Fostered & built excellent relationships on all accounts.- Consistently exceeded sales budgets, reduced costs to improve profit margins.- Overseas research trips to identify key style, fabric and colour trends - translated these into commercial product for specific client briefs. - Supplier review trips to China - assessed factory capabilities & standards, developed outstanding supplier relationships.- Planned and presented ranges to key clients.- Managed development process from concept through to delivery, ensured all projects were delivered on-brief, on-time, on-budget and in excellent quality.- Solved all delivery & QA problems - worked daily with overseas suppliers.- Fabric, trim & fit approval. - Garment fit sessions with client & garment technologist.- Set-up measurement specifications, order enquiries & cost sheets. - Controlled costs to maximise profitability for company & client.- Responsible for meeting sales budgets.- Engineered garments & sourced fabrics to meet profit margins without compromising on quality.- Co-ordinated & developed sample ranges with pattern makers & sample machinists.- Trend research / seasonal trend forecasting. Show less

Part of a team of 4 that established and grew the Sportsgirl & Target accounts to $20,000000 in 2 years, while maintaing the company's profitable account with Kmart.Set up & implemented production/QA systems across 3 major accounts.Managed production, product development & garment technology. Supplier trips to India (up to 6 per year) to source fabrics and oversee range development.Sourcing and forecasting trips to Europe & USA to identify key style, fabric and colour trends -… Show more Part of a team of 4 that established and grew the Sportsgirl & Target accounts to $20,000000 in 2 years, while maintaing the company's profitable account with Kmart.Set up & implemented production/QA systems across 3 major accounts.Managed production, product development & garment technology. Supplier trips to India (up to 6 per year) to source fabrics and oversee range development.Sourcing and forecasting trips to Europe & USA to identify key style, fabric and colour trends - translated these into commercial product for specific client briefs.Garment Technologist & Production Manager for Sportsgirl, K-Mart & Target.Worked with clients to establish & implement QA & critical path procedures.Set up cost inquiries & engineered garments to meet client profit margins without compromising quality.All fabric, trim & fit approvals. Developed yardage print repeats Established fast turn-around solutions on best selling styles for Target.Trend research/seasonal trend forecasting for clients. Show less