Linda "Lin" James Email and Phone Number

Offering unique guidance as you envision the possibilities of home ownership. From first time buyers to retirees, luxury sales, vacation homes to investment properties, my design background and project management expertise are a winning combination.

• Department head, responsible for all department deliverables and budget• Maximized leanest of resources to salvage production and development of concurrent seasons post-disruption• Oversaw design/development process for all tiers of business, from trend direction to initial prototyping and material selection/specification through commercialization• Reduced over-development, improving efficiencies and generating cost savings • Elevated product assortment, increasing average retail price • Drove product creation and managed relationships for Martha Stewart collaboration• Defined and executed core materials program• Implemented streamlined design & development calendar, improving workflow efficiency and reducing lead-times in development and production

• Lead trend direction for multi-tiered ladies lifestyle comfort footwear business• Sourced, selected and developed all materials and created seasonal color palettes• Oversaw detailing and specification of prototypes and sales samples for all brands as well as confirmation sample and material approval process for development and production • Liaised between global material suppliers and agents/factories, from development stage through production on sourcing, delivery and quality; Developed and maintained lasting relationships with leather, textile and synthetics suppliers in Europe and Asia• Directed product team on design and development processes, establishing project priorities and delegating tasks• Created trend guides integrating forecasting with product education, providing selling tools to impact sales; presented to merchants, sales teams, major accounts and retail store manager

• Responsible for creation of branded, diffusion brand and Private Label Product, designing and developing 500+ ladies’ styles per season• Presented collections to internal teams each season at sketch/prototype stage and to accounts at major markets• Worked with sales team and accounts on creation of special make-up programs and Private Label collections• Extensive market research in the US and abroad; Created shopping reports shared with cross-functional teams to ensure relevance of new development • Established styling direction for the company in collaboration with SVP; Oversaw appropriate alignment of styling, materials and components for each product tier in detailing and specification of prototypes and samples• Managed Assistant Designer

• Sketched new designs each season and specified materials and components for development• Traveled to factories in China to correct prototypes and samples • Managed confirmation sample process

• Sketched new designs each season and specified materials and components for development• Managed creation of make-up line for distribution to discount department stores• Worked independently with factories in China and Mexico on prototype and sample corrections• Supervised interns