Kate Saunders Email & Phone Number

Boulder, Colorado, United States

Hired by brand’s Founder/CEO to support and accelerate brand strategy for growth. Strengthen Krimson Klover apparel presence and revenue goals with expertise applied toward expansion of product assortment, strategic line planning, product merchandising and market segmentation. Oversight of Sales, Marketing, Operations for brand. Establish processes to support the brand's growing infrastructure and scale. Launched an expanded counter seasonal collection (Spring-Summer) to have the brand present at retail/direct year-round by identifying consumer opportunity, category expansion, product assortment, merchandising for design/color/print, price points and leading Go-to-Market execution: SS22 product launch resulted in 3x growth sales volume. Set the vision and execution of KK Brand Book which concisely and engagingly describes brand’s values and POV. Established elevated standards for brand visuals – affecting product photos, marketing, product catalogs, Ecom strategy. Drive sales meetings to present all products to provide sales/staff with deep knowledge about product and seasonal initiatives. Build upon a strong brand DNA and improve story-telling of brand values, advance a culture of passion for quality women’s performance apparel – leading a brand that is women-powered and bringing product to global market that is desirable, compelling, gaining market share globally, meets KPI’s and revenue plan. Expand partnerships focused on empowering women in the outdoor industry and featuring artists of diverse backgrounds to grow exposure in skiwear and active outdoor lifestyle apparel.

Boulder, Colorado, United States

Hired to advise on brand and merchandise strategy.

Colorado

Working with Client/Brand to establish scope of project, create timelines, and deliverables. Projects have encompassed multi-season product collections, conducting market research, creating Design Briefs and Line Plans, contracting with freelance Designers, coordinating design reviews, fit sessions, providing advice and assistance on all aspects of design, color, material selection, trims, and price points. Projects include performance and fashion yoga/barre apparel, technical outerwear (jackets, pants, coordinated layering apparel) technical cycling apparel, technical running apparel, snow sports apparel, performance knitwear and premium sport and fashion sweaters.

Louisville, Colorado

Entrepreneurial role leading the apparel team and cross functional partners across multiple disciplines: trend analysis, assortment creation, design direction, seasonal strategy development, inventory planning (pre-season and reorder), pricing and promotion, product marketing and communications and consumer experience.**Launch the Gaiam Apparel Division; in excess of $30 million in annual volume within 2 years of launch.**Lead seasonal key initiatives to drive brand and business concepts through go-to market strategies. Oversee category financial plan focusing on efficiency of assortment and maximizing productivity.Direct the allocation of resources and manage Timeline.Deliver product briefs with in-depth analysis of consumer trends and market opportunities that are consistent with sourcing capabilities, margin goals, and inspire Designers to deliver concepts that deliver style, comfort and value. Collaborate with Marketing to ensure competitive differentiation is clearly articulated and understood by our sales team and our consumers.Be the consumer expert for the brand with an in-depth understanding of fit and fabrication, consumer expectations, and develop strong customer focused strategies. Develop a collaborative working environment among product creation team. Resolve process issues and recommend ways to continually improve the interaction of team members as well as process efficiencies. Present category strategy, prototype concepts, designs and product to key retailers such Kohl’s, Macy’s, Hudson’s Bay (Canada) and David Jones (Australia) at seasonal adoption meetings, and to senior management as well as present apparel collection/strategy to global sales team and buyers during market tours, trade shows and sales meetings.Account Management: establish strong collaborative relationships with key partners including Buyers, Merchants and Planners to manage product allocation meeting both Retailer and Brand sell-thru projections and reorders.

Louiville, Co

Broomfield, Colorado

Merchandising responsibility for multi-brand, multi-season line planning across timelines and in conjunction with design team, product development, and production schedules. Coordinated the strategic line plans, price points and forecasting across 3 brands and their respective product assortments encompassing retail seasons of Spring/Summer, Fall/Winter, Holiday for men's and women's street wear and technical outerwear. Recruited and hired personnel to support the brand's expansion.

Boulder, Colorado

Directed all product line management strategies, merchandising department processes and personnel. Extensive travel domestically and internationally for trade shows, design meetings, market research and presentations. Prepared and managed annual department budget with direct P&L responsibility. Created and managed seasonal business plans, drove product initiatives across departments, coordinated sales forecasts and ensured products meet/exceed corporate growth goals and brand integrity. Facilitated personnel professional development and unified team efforts. Management of 7 direct reports (PLM's), plus all freelance/contract designers, and a seasonal product range of over 700 unique styles each fall.

Boulder, Colorado

Managed Merchandising (PLM’s) and Graphics departments (11 people), 10 freelance designers, and a seasonal product range of over 800 unique styles each season, plus an SMU range of 75 styles for key accounts. Prepared and managed annual budgets for Merchandising/Design and Graphic Departments. Supervised material and color palette selections, involved in proto/fit reviews and costing meetings. Managed product integrity over 3-7 seasonal catalogs. Participated in the implementation of a PDM system (Lectra/Gallery) to manage the growing scale of product processes. Conduct presentations to sales and buyers to communicate clear category and product direction. Extensive travel in Europe and Asia to work with designers, factories, and sales teams.

Boulder, Colorado

Responsible for the management of 4-5 Product Line Manager team and a Trim Developer; oversaw the merchandising processes for seasonal collections. Managed department fiscal responsibilities annually and 500+ unique products seasonally. Maintained timeline, line plans, forecasts and business plans for all Spyder products. Created standard format for all Design Briefs, Design Contracts and negotiated design contracts/fees and schedules. Guided all design review meetings, fit sessions, proto reviews, approved color palette/color standards and trims. Participated on a select team of Spyder staff that researched, selected and implemented a company-wide ERP system. Extensive travel in Europe and Asia to work with designers, mills, factories and sales teams.

Boulder, Colorado

Addressed global market position and demand based upon industry and consumer trends, product opportunity, price points and positioning within the Spyder brand. Determined category line direction, design influences, features, communicated and worked directly with designers to execute the designs. Coordinated design details and product information to Raw Materials and Product Development. Participated in proto and costing reviews. Presented and educated sales team on seasonal product. Domestic and international travel included trade shows and factory visits.

Boulder, Colorado

Managed staff of 4-5 Customer Service Representatives, handling all sales rep support and dealer and consumer services such as order processing, stock status, returns, etc. Worked closely with Distribution Manager to allocate product shipments based on multiple priorities.