Wati is a former Australian lawyer. She has over 30 years experience as a fashion professional in New York and San Francisco, working in the 1990's under Mickey Drexler at The Gap, Inc. A technical designer who helped to renovate the Banana Republic Men's division, she was recruited by Levi Strauss & Co to design for their Men's Dockers division at the beginning of the 'business casual' shift in men's dressing. She is an industry veteran with concept, color and trend development expertise. She manages the design process, calendars and budgets, specializes in brand-building and has extensive experience in the development of men's, women’s and children's sportswear, outerwear and accessories. Her specialties are: woven and knit garments, merchandising, color, trend, concept development, inspiration, design, print development, fabric sourcing, and quality assurance. She is a fit specialist and qualified pattern-maker. Team building is her forte.In 2001 she started her own popular eponymous label Wati Design specializing in children's wear. This line was carried by high-end boutiques and catalogs around the US, Japan and Korea, and by department stores such as Neiman Marcus. After a few year's break from her kids' line Wati focused on the launch of a Women's capsule collection. Since the Covid-19 global pandemic hit the United States in March 2020, Wati was one of the first designers who started manufacturing facemasks for healthcare professionals, farm workers and other members of the community in need. Her specialty hand-sewn Liberty of London fabric masks gained a cult following, a portion of all proceeds of which, went and continue to go to Covid-related causes.She edits and is the publisher of the fashion sustainability magazine Circle Ahead which encourages mindful consumption and promotes the appreciation of well-loved, passed-on, vintage and second-hand garments and accessories. Aside from her own design pursuits, Wati provides mentoring and consulting to fashion-related start-ups, garment designers and manufacturers in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a passionate supporter of the visual arts.Her family members span the globe and Wati regularly visits them in New York City, Asia and Australia, as well as travels with her husband Mike around the U.S. with their soccer and baseball-playing daughter. Talia is a member of the USC Women’s Soccer program. Their son Alex graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, (Film and Television Production). He is now based in New York.
Listed skills include Fashion, Apparel, Trend Analysis, Fashion Design, and 41 others.
