- Manages 40+ designer brands for 2 unique categories of business- Develops strategy for designer brand space both in-store and online, working closely with vendor counterparts and internal partners to achieve financial targets- Partners with buyer and planner counterparts to build out sales and receipt plans to maximize topside profitability- Develops exclusive styles with vendor partners to maximize incremental sales opportunity, offering customers new iterations of historical best sellers every season- Projects the season’s receipt forecast for monthly OTB review and maintains the checkbook during market- Pulls or curates assortment in market, identifies the season’s key trends to invest in, and uses class and price point analysis to identify product-level opportunities- Writes buys or tailored assortments by location (seasonal, core/replenishment, ATS) with SKU count and depth targets in mind- Negotiates RTVs and swaps with vendors to maximize inventory productivity and improve overall profitability- Manages seasonal markdowns by negotiating style lists with vendors, seasonally cleaning up aged inventory, monitoring competitive pricing in the market and ensuring timely execution of all markdown entry

- Oversaw Modern RTW, Evening/Dresses, Childrens’ and Lingerie businesses- Assisted with the pre-season and in-season management of store inventory to ensure achievement of financial targets (FP and NFP sales, gross profit, inventory turn, GMROI)- Leveraged both data and store-specific feedback to determine ladder planning concept of key items in key markets- Collaborated with cross functional departments, ie. marketing, buying, store operations, to ensure successful implementation of product strategies and launches- Utilized data and store insights to uncover opportunities within the store fleet and provided key findings to merchant teams so they are actioned upon- Was responsible for projecting the season’s OTB forecast, building seasonal by-door sales plans, allocating the store-portion of seasonal and ATS orders, store to store stock balancing, etc

- Managed 40+ advanced designer brands and scouted new designer talent to onboard at Saks- Helped buyer develop strategy for the emerging designer brand space both in-store and online - Partnered with buyer and planning counterparts to build out sales and receipt plans to maximize topside profitability- Developed exclusive packages with vendor partners to maximize incremental sales opportunity- Projected the season’s receipt forecast for monthly OTB review and maintained the checkbook during market- Pulled or curated assortment in market and identified key trends to maximize sales volume- Wrote buys or tailored assortments by location (seasonal, ATS, reorder etc) with SKU and depth targets in mind- Negotiated RTVs/Swaps with vendors to reduce inventory liabilities and maximize profitability- Managed seasonal markdowns by negotiating style lists with vendors, monitoring competitive pricing in the market and ensuring timely execution - Performed price point and class analysis, reviewed door matrices for opportunities and liabilities, analyzed sales trends, identified best sellers for reorder opportunities - Partnered with sample and item set-up teams to style our buys for the website shoots and ensure all on-order merchandise is pubbed to site well in advanced to maximize pre-sale opportunity - Partnered with digital team to ensure item copy, imagery and styling on site was up to standard for our brand matrix- Partnered with marketing team on advertising selects for social, digital and print on a monthly and seasonal basis- Supported onboarding and training 3 new team members by coaching them on day-to-day buying operations and processes, etc- Built out a DEI Roadmap report tracking Black-owned brand sales for the entire company (across all categories of business) to ensure we were meeting seasonal and fiscal sales targets

- Managed 7 pillar designer businesses alongside Buyer and Planner counterparts- Brand portfolio included: Burberry, Balenciaga, Celine, Givenchy, Loewe, Sacai, and Saint Laurent- Drove outsized growth in trending brands by aggressively chasing after active and casual wear during the pandemic- Projected the season’s receipt forecast for monthly OTB review and maintained the checkbook during market- Partnered with buyer at market to pull assortment and identify key trends to maximize sales volume- Wrote buys or tailored assortments by location (seasonal, ATS, etc) with SKU and depth targets in mind- Negotiated RTVs/Swaps with vendors to reduce inventory liabilities and supervised seasonal markdowns by carefully monitoring competitive pricing in the market and ensuring timely execution- Performed price point and class analysis, reviewed door matrices for opportunities and liabilities, analyzed sales trends, secured exclusive product, and identified best sellers for reorder opportunities - Managed QR/Replenishment business for Burberry from top-to-bottom, placing orders on a weekly basis to ensure best sellers were always in stock and partnering with the vendor seasonally to turn off under-performing styles and turn on new, best selling silhouettes

- 6 month merchant training program that includes a 1-month store rotation at SFA and SOF flagship stores and 5 months in a corporate buying office. Placement at end of program as an Assistant Buyer or Assistant Planner in a select buying office.- Attended merchant training classes and completed a number of homework assignments, projects, exams - Participated in roundtables with senior leadership, networking events, etc- In buying office: assisted with RTVs, markdowns, sizing, writing seasonal buys, sales and class analysis, receipts, OTB preparation, etc

- Helped manage around 40 Contemporary Handbag brands and 20 Sunglass brands - Acted as an owner operator over certain brands and businesses- Partnered with buyer at market to pull assortment, secure exclusives, and identify key trends to maximize sales volume- Wrote buys or tailored assortments by location (seasonal, ATS, etc)- Managed orders and receipts, executed and negotiated RTVs/swaps, and supervised monthly markdowns- Performed class analysis, reviewed door matrices, analyzed sales trends, and identified best sellers for reorder opportunities - Assisted with markdown and receipt projections for monthly OTB in order to reach financial targets

- Analyzed sales patterns and produced sell-through reports- Created electronic purchase orders, created buy sheets and managed order confirmations for seasonal buying- Produced jewelry and eyewear catalogues for showroom items- Assisted the E-Shop with customer service and refund processing- Managed new store inventory and incoming shipments- Accompanied the merchandising team in training sessions with select wholesale partners at the DSMNY store

- Updated weekly, monthly and seasonal reporting- Created a detailed by style picture selling to be updated on a weekly basis- Performed seasonal and free stock allocations- Created product lookbooks- Analyzed sales trends and weekly/monthly best sellers- Conducted competitive analysis- Uploaded and tracked orders through SAP- Collected and tracked samples and shipments- Followed up on daily/weekly initiatives (incentives, newsletters, special requests)- Updated intern manual with detailed instructions- Prepared and distributed seasonal pre-sell tools (i.e. Reserve Books)- Creating order entries, modifications and cancellations- Sent out a weekly merchandising newsletter

- Completed sell through reports, shipment/delivery reports- Created training books for retail clients- Participated in frequent integrated training programs to enhance sales communication- Created order entries and managed order confirmations- Created by style selling reports- Created client packages for clients that missed market

- Created social clippings and fashion week recap presentations- Worked on brand-related research projects- Conducted social media analytics- Sent out news of the day reports- Conducted weekly marketing initiatives report- Preparing for sample sale events- Helping the wholesale team with market preparation- Managed messenger/delivery services

- Pitched and wrote stories with my own by line- Assisted with photo/story research- Stayed on top of trending news stories and sent out a news update twice daily- Produced/converted stories from print magazine for web- Transcribed interviews- Updated the team’s events calendar (TV/ film premieres, book launches, holidays, birthdays, conferences, fashion shows, music festivals, award shows, major sports events)- Helped with freelance writers’ invoices- Helped the team with receipts/expenses and shipping/messengers- Attended/covered events for editor

- Assisted with market research- Worked with affiliate partners- Produced in-house web stories- Wrote articles for the site with my own by line- Assisted with interviews

- Assisted with fittings, photo shoots, returns and pick ups, closet organization, etc.