Michelene Maldonado-Smith Email & Phone Number

Austin, Tx, Us

Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area

Development of new materials, trim and hardware for ConsuelaManage new materials to the Development Calendar each seasonCreate Mood Boards seasonally for Trims, Materials, Hardware and EmbroideriesOrder all development yardage/materials with suppliers and communicate with Materials ManagerDirectly manage and coach Raw Material Development SpecialistHelp to determine vendor designation by trim/material in collaboration with Production team to ensure capacity by vendor is not exceeded while dual sourcing as applicable Dual sourcing as needed for all raw materialsAssist Product Development Director with procuring and organizing material costsCollaborate/partner with Design Team via regular meetings, handoffs and work to bring their concepts to life Oversee masters process, including fabrics, embroideries and hardwareOversee and maintain materials library for both officesInsure materials are updated in WFX and that vendor partners are communicated with on updates Cultivate relationships with suppliers and collaborative partnersWork with Founder/CEO/Creative Director to review and approve trim and hardware samples.Work with Founder/CEO/Creative Director and design team on new ideas/concepts to source as short term or long term projects Maintain all records and comments on materials and sourcing in regards to approvals, drops and revisions in an organized manner in order to provide information to the full team, including factories

Austin, Texas, United States

Austin, Texas, United States

New York, New York

• Partnered with Merchants & Design leaders to understand roadmap, fabric needs and surface trend direction by season.• Managed direct report, ensuring all calendar deliverables were met including sample yardage requests, strike off reviews, pre-production samples, costing, and timely, clear communication.• Collaborated with Surface Design and licensing partners on developing Licensed (NFL/MLB/College sports) Apparel & Accessories development calendar aa well as outlined and implemented new product category/artwork approval process with Professional/College sports organizations.• Traveled to on board and troubleshoot development / production issues and process / timeline improvements with Asia regional teams and various vendors.• Managed all graphic and embellishment innovation for total brand to provide unified vision, elevate brand aesthetic and fit cost within retail matrix.• Managed approval and maintained sample library of all approved surface treatments for the brand. In preparation for remote work, spearheaded transitioning this library to digital platform Box.com.• Partnered with Design teams and mills to cut sample yardage orders by 50% to meet budgetary needs.• Collaborated cross-functionally to thoughtfully develop and initiate designs with LDP targets in mind to facilitate affordable and bulk feasible samples. • Initiated cost options cross-functionally at product inception and initial tech pack review to facilitate decision making at first sample review

New York, New York, United States

• Developed and initiated repeatable and streamlined processes to facilitate new product category development in Accessories while ensuring sample delivery & approval within established speed Apparel calendar. • Partnered directly with vendors in various Accessories subcategories - to uncover opportunities for development process, new product categories and cost improvement.• Specialized experience in printing on knits, wovens, plastic, TPU, EVA and metal, as well as embellishment and molding techniques.• Partnered with product development leadership to assess opportunities in speed-to-market initiatives• Shopped market for innovative print/embellishment/molding techniques/product categories• Managed and fostered development of product development assistant ensuring timely management of all deliverables while facilitating edification and career growth• Approved all lab dips on various soft and hard goods substrates to ensure cross-category color matching

New York, New York, United States

• Developed, negotiated costing and facilitated approval of all fabrics and trims• Managed all tech pack inputs and artwork file distribution to vendors• Negotiated costing of all aspects of each style and aligning to seasonal targets• Managed TNA for production

Bachelor Of Science (Bs), Fashion Merchandising

Activities and Societies: Courses Product Development Fabric Technology Retail Math Societies Honors Society

New Media