Rie M. Email and Phone Number

Restructured, hired and built a high-performing Product Development team and put streamlined procedures in place.Led the team to successfully execute 600-800 SKUs of originally designed gold, sterling and brass jewelry per market. Accounts include Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, Dillard’s, and Bay.Teamed up with internal IT team and created a raw material database and PO system for PD use within CRM system.Established technical design standards to achieve consistency in product details, quality and factory communications.Created and maintained quarterly time & action calendar for company‘s wholesale and e-commerce businesses to ensure timely execution of design, sample development, and production orders.Created and constantly updated line plan and linesheet throughout the sample development process from spec sheet submission to final pricing.Partnered with Design team and approved technical drawings and CAD files to ensure information accuracy, production friendliness, and product quality.Supervised PD director on product specs, sourcing, counter-sourcing, cost negotiation, raw material specs and chart creation to increase the cost performance and logistic efficiency, and improve product quality.Worked closely with CFO to price all products competitively while achieving the company’s target margin.Monitored factories’ development progress, troubleshot on technical and sourcing, and set XF ship dates. Held hand-off meetings with Production and Purchasing teams on product specs and raw materials.

Launched company’s first high-end costume jewelry collection and successfully increased jewelry sales by bringing in new resources and expertise.Led the team of designers to create collections of jewelry and hair accessories 4 markets a year. Responsible for merchandising, sourcing, purchasing, costing and pricing of all new products. Created and maintained line plan and time & action calendar.

DUTIESOversaw Design, Product Development, Production (200+ line workers), Inventory Control, and Quality Assurance departments with 5 direct reports and P&L responsibilities.From inception to sample production, worked closely with CEO to realize his vision and to create innovative jewelry collections 3 markets a year.Created and maintained SKU plan, merch plan and time & action calendar, and led a large team of designers and product development specialists to execute designs, CADs and samples in a timely manner.Created and maintained production budget. Supervised order processing and purchasing to level out production volume and to enable just-in-time procurement.ACHIEVEMENTSSuccessfully sustained 525% sales growth in 7 years through effective staffing, timely facility expansion, accurate production forecast, and budget maintenance.Built a system infrastructure to integrate purchasing, product development and design functions to achieve seamless interdepartmental operations.Established design standards to achieve effective job training and consistency in quality and aesthetics.

Responsible for sourcing and purchasing of designer gold, sterling silver, and costume jewelry for TV shopping network broadcasted 24/7 nationwide. Traveled to Europe, US, and Asia for trade shows and vendor appointments.Introduced 14 new brands including 1 private label by bringing in 8 new resources from US, Thailand, China and Japan.As acting manager, participated in marketing meeting to discuss monthly promotion and focus, and scheduled the airing of all jewelry brands totaling in $160M annual GS.Merchandised each show in collaboration with planners and conducted product briefings for show hosts.

Responsible for sourcing and purchasing of jewelry, beauty, children and home goods for company’s mail-order catalogs with 7 million circulation in Japan.Attended various trade shows throughout the year to source and research current and future market trends in fashion, gift and home categories.Curated mail-order catalogs of US based designer jewlery, and oversaw its drop-ship programs from New York to individual customers in Japan. Partnered with a 3PL facility and oversaw fulfillment.Responsible for product selection, site design, photography and content, launched company’s first New York based e-commerce site as a project manager.

Designed trend-right, Japanese market appropriate jewelry for licensed Sonia Rykiel Bijoux Paris. Contributed hand sketches, technical drawings and spec sheets as a lead designer.Communicated with Sonia Rykiel licensing team on design approvals, and ensured global consistency in brand esthetics.Instructed factories on wax, mold and sample production, and approved market samples. Sourced raw materials as needed to enhance the high-end brand perception. Led production handover meetings with factories and QA team.Responsible for costing and pricing, successfully designed into target price points and margins. Collaborated with Marketing team and worked on store display and packaging. Prepared seasonal linesheets and keyed in new proucts to AS400. Assisted account executives by briefing on products to buyers during market weeks.