Sr Designer - Men's & Boy's - Private Brands at Belk Private Brands (Saddlebred, Crown & Ivy, Ocean & Coast, Zelos, True Craft and MADISON)

Owned design and development for men’s and boys’ 8–20 across activewear, sportswear, dress shirts, and furnishing. Led the South and South East regional market research to identify trends and set aspirational seasonal direction aligned to each brand’s aesthetic. Directed complex garment and textile design initiatives through collaboration with design teams, buyers, merchandising, merchants, product managers, DMM/GMM, vendors, and overseas sources—balancing differentiation with costing, fit, and technology/fabric platform strategy. Managed monthly flow of color stories, textile patterns, prints, graphics, and trim expression within store fixture frameworks. Presented seasonal line reviews to leadership and influenced actions through feedback cycles. Ensured adherence to the Time & Action calendar and managed priorities/projects across direct reports and CAD design resources.

Sr Designer - Men's & Boy's - Private Brands at Belk (Private Brands)

Responsible for all designs of Men's & Boy's 8-20 for Belk Private Brands (Saddlebred, Crown & Ivy, Ocean & Coast, Zelos, True Craft and MADISON). Led the design process for complex private apparel brands with multiple product lines and categories (Activewear, Sportswear, Dress Shirts, Furnishings). Conducted regional market research to identify trends, develop aspirational apparel and textile designs, and articulate seasonal vision in alignment with each brand’s aesthetic direction. Interpreted trends for commercial success, applying deep knowledge of garment construction, fabrics, trims, prints, and fit. Collaborated with Belk apparel design teams, buyers, DMM, GMM, Product Managers, Merchants and Vendors; ensured design integrity across Men’s and scaled to Boy’s 8-20 through collaboration with Design teams and vendors. Owned design development from concept to production, including color, fabrics, prints, patterns, trims and fit for multiple product categories; developed monthl

Freelance Design Consultant at Various (New York, NY)

Consulted to develop and launch private-label fashion products for major department stores including Nieman Marcus and Nordstrom. Designed, developed, and launched multiple dress shirt and sports/kids-wear lines through trend analysis, stakeholder-aligned design direction, and fabric sourcing collaboration with Far East mills and factories. Managed seasonal accountability across woven and knit categories and supported sales growth through product presentations, frequent travel to trade shows, and ongoing vendor coordination. Contributed to a $70M dress and sportswear division for The Apparel Group (TAG) with woven and knit tops and bottoms for distribution to retailers including Nordstrom, Dillard’s, Nieman Marcus, and Saks Off 5th.

Project/Capacity Planning & CAD Design Team Project Manager; Department Growth Lead at Ahmed's role (Smart Apparel US / Bob S., Smart Apparel US context)

Served as project manager for a CAD design team and coordinated capacity planning by identifying roadblocks, resolving conflicting timelines and priorities, and driving continuous improvement in the product development process. Supervised direct reports with regular feedback for development, organized and monitored workload to fast-track priority deliverables, and ensured team execution against planning calendars.

Freelance Design Consultant at Self-Employed

Contributed expansive design experience to develop and implement private-label products for major retailers, including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and others. Designed, developed, and launched private-label lines across dress shirts, sportswear and kids’ wear for private-label channels. Conducted trend analysis to project consumer demand and align with stakeholder expectations. Sourced, vetted and collaborated with Far East fabric mills and factories to design, develop, manufacture and drive sales; negotiated cost-effective production while maintaining quality. Maintained accountability for seasonal designs across woven and knit categories; created distinctive productions that delivered a competitive edge. Drove consumer engagement through design presentations and product developments aligned with customer ideals; expanded sales channels via travel to local and international trade shows. Led a $70M dress and sportswear division for The Apparel Group (TAG) distributing to Nordstrom, Dill

Director of Design, Sales and Business Development at NDP/Decotex (Co-Best Group)

Launched, managed and grew the U.S. operations for a China-based weaving mill and manufactory, developing sales channels with key customers, including PVH, Macy’s, Joseph A. Bank, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Nordstrom, Target, Kohl’s, GAP, A&F, J-Crew, ZARA, Talbots, UNIQLO, Ralph Lauren, and others. Delivered oversight of a $38M office operation, combining business development, operations oversight, marketing and industry expertise to drive growth and establish U.S. presence. Established and communicated sales goals and budgets across all U.S. operations, directing cross-functional teams through leadership of design, R&D, production, manufacturing, new product development and portfolio management. Fostered positive customer relations through timely communication and follow-up, leading strategy meetings to identify roadblocks and customer requirements.

VP of Design & Merchandising – Menswear Woven Shirts and Bottoms at Smart Apparel US (The Younger Group)

Created and launched seasonal concepts, colors, and trend initiatives for collections across multiple retailer campaigns. Researched retail sources in the U.S. and Europe to set color, silhouette, and fabric direction, producing trend materials presentations and development samples. Managed development calendars and initiated seasonal sampling across blanket and handloom development. Coordinated fabric mill research with Hong Kong/Ningbo teams and built a comprehensive sample library each season. Ensured branding campaign alignment with seasonal lines and maintained unified messaging while trickling down designs across value channels (mass market and outlet) with adjusted fabric content/finishes/washes while preserving brand DNA.

VP of Design & Merchandising – Menswear Woven Shirts and Bottoms at Smart Apparel US

Delivered fresh ideas and perspective to drive the NYC-based $300M Menswear woven division of The Younger Group, creating impactful designs, color and trend initiatives for Ralph Lauren, JCP, CLAIBORNE, Lands’ End, LLBean, Bloomingdales, Thomas Pink, Tommy Hilfiger, and other global houses and retailers. Created and launched seasonal concepts, colors and trend materials for collections spaced out to four annual campaigns. Researched retail sources throughout the U.S. and Europe to form color, silhouette and fabric direction; developing trend materials, merchandising concepts and development samples for customer review. Protected stakeholder interests by monitoring licensed and private label development calendars while initiating seasonal samples and production milestones; coordinated Fabric Mill research with Hong Kong and Ningbo teams, while directing the operations and support teams to develop a comprehensive Sample Library for each season. Managed branding campaigns to ensure alig

Sr. Designer (IZOD Wholesale Division) – Men’s Woven Shirts at Phillips Van Heusen (IZOD Wholesale Division)

Directed a full IZOD men’s sportswear line spanning knits, sweaters, and bottoms, supporting cohesive product campaigns and approximately $15M annual revenues. Collaborated with VP design and sales teams to ensure product flow, production delivery, and quality assurance aligned to SKU plans. Partnered with associate designer and merchandiser to ensure PDM data accuracy and reduce delivery roadblocks. Built story boards/inspiration boards and color palettes for cross-functional design/development alignment. Managed calendars and SKU planning to hit hard deadlines and presented brand line overviews to domestic and international licensees, coordinating with global offices to solve production and product development issues. Adapted design/fabrics/finishes/washes to serve mass market accounts, licensees, and outlet while maintaining brand DNA and contributed to ~6% sales increase for the division.