Quality Assurance Design

Tim Robinson

**** ******** *** *****, ****, Charlotte, NC 28210

C: 704-***-**** / abjs3r@r.postjobfree.com

SUMMARY

. Experienced at all levels of quality assurance, global sourcing, design,

line-building and product development for Apparel, Accessory and

Home/Bed/Bath categories.

. Working knowledge of manufacturing and production process.

. Skilled in the vertical design process with a keen merchandising sense.

. Understanding of small and large corporate matrix structures.

. Strong analytical skills with sound judgment.

. Excellent fashion, trend, color and materials. sensibility.

. Strong emphasis on mentoring, training, development and leading

personnel.

. Excellent organizational, time management, written and verbal

communication skills.

EXPERIENCE

FAB, New York, NY February 2008

- June 2010

$200M Wholesale Importer of Bags (lost licensed agreements, let go)

Vice President of Product Development/Sourcing/Quality Assurance

Responsible for product development, sourcing and quality assurance for

private-label Handbags, Backpack, Accessories and Home Products. Manage a

staff of 4 production associates, 7 designers for US operations and 6

merchandisers in the Hong Kong offices. Direct liaise with licensing

partners. Proactively seek out opportunities to maximize the business.

Develop strong working relationships with cross-functional team members

(Merchandising, Production, Graphics, etc) through improved communication

and problem solving. Mentor, train & develop Associate/Assistant

Designers. Understand the intricacies of the production process relating

to each classification. Fiscal responsibility for all product costing and

management of deadlines according to the corporate calendar. Responsible

for negotiating all costs related to materials, packaging, trims and

production orders for the company. Travel extensively to all parts of Asia.

. Set all margin goals and manage divisional budgets based on an annual

$200M business.

. Effectively relocated all sourcing and production business from Southern

China to Northern China to reduce the rising costs of production and

labor, thereby increasing the company profit margin by 18%.

. Developed collection of licensed Bed and Bath programs.

Wal-Mart, Inc., Bentonville, AR October 2006

- February 2008

$408B Discount Retailer (shutdown department, moved to NYC, choose not

relocate due to uncertainty)

Senior Global Sourcing/Quality Assurance Director

Sourcing, quality assurance and product development responsibilities for

Handbags, Active Bags, Backpacks, Small Leather Goods, Belts, Cold Weather

items, Rainwear, Costume Jewelry, Sunglasses, Hard/Soft home, Denim and T-

Shirts. Provided departmental seasonal design, trend and color direction.

Participate in regular design review meetings with cross-functional

category partners. Work directly with upper-management and Merchants to

ensure alignment at all levels. Negotiate all costs related to materials,

trims and production orders directly with suppliers and manufacturers.

Mentor, train & develop Associate/Assistant Designers in accordance with

corporate mentoring program.

. Responsible for management and product placement of $2.3B with domestic

and direct import supply base.

. Instrumental in the development of seasonal direct import programs with

Wal-Mart's international offices.

. Instrumental in developing off-peak production initiative for Cold

Weather items and Bed and Bath resulting in a profit margin increase of

22% with net results of $13M in profit dollars.

. Narrowed vendor matrix by 25 % to leverage pricing resulting in more

business with fewer suppliers.

TR Design/Fashion Focus Mfg Ltd, Hong Kong/Charlotte, NC May

2004 - October 2006

$100M High End Luxury Handbag Manufacturer

Senior Director - Design and Product Development/QA

Responsible for all design, product development, quality assurance,

production and materials sourcing for Handbags, Luggage, Small Leather

Goods and other Accessory related categories. Developed product for Land's

End, Kate Spade, Ruehl, Ann Taylor, John Varvatos, Coach and Anthropologie.

Use trend intelligence and an understanding of the current and historical

business to design and execute specific classifications. Met all time and

action calendar dates related to the clients concept deadlines to ensure on-

time delivery of samples and production. Extensive travel to all regions

of Europe, Asia and South America. Built solid network of high quality

manufacturing and raw material partners.

Belk, Inc., Charlotte, NC June

2002 - May 2004

$1B Southeast Retailer (started my own company)

Sr. Manager Private Brands - Design/Product Development/Sourcing/Quality

Assurance

Directly responsible for the design, development, sourcing and production

of Women's Handbags, Luggage, Belts, Small Leather Goods, Cold Weather

Items, Knits and Wovens. Closely worked with sourcing partners/agents in

India and Asia based on seasonal objectives and corporate initiatives.

Acted as primary contact for vendors to develop product to meet the design

aesthetic and merchandising goals. Manage daily workflow and communication

with team, cross-functional partners and vendors. Responsible for meeting

corporate profit margins under my supervision.

. Increased profit margin by 16% through improved sourcing.

Freelance Design/Product Execution in Bags (2000-2002)

Mossimo/Target Corp, Santa Monica, CA February 1996

- November 2000

$100M Design Licensee for Target (relocated south due to family reasons)

Design Director - Design/Product Development/Sourcing/Quality Assurance

Responsible for the design, production, product development, materials

sourcing, creation and approval of all Handbags, Bed/Bath/Room D cor,

Accessories, Footwear, Cold Weather items, Denim, Sweaters, Knits/Woven's,

Neckwear, Hosiery, Apparel and Beach/Swim/Body products for USA, Mexico,

Australia, Japan and Korean markets. Direct liaison for all domestic and

international licensing agents. Set overall creative tone and led design

process. Fully responsible for managing and development of staff of 6 in

all aspects of the product design process to include market research,

selection of raw materials, spec and fit processes. Worked directly with

Target Corp. merchants to create and meet specific corporate merchandising

and design directives. Extensive travel in Europe, Asia, Central and South

America.

Warnaco, Inc (Calvin Klein Division) New York, NY December 1994

- February 1996

$1B Wholesaler of Handbags, Underwear and Denim

Vice President - Design/Product Development - CK/Collection (Men's and

Women's)

Accountable for all design, merchandising, production placement, materials

and packaging sourcing for the men's and women's accessories divisions of

both CK and Collection. Design and merchandising responsibilities for the

CK Underwear and Denim divisions. Managed a department of 7 associates.

Directly responsible for all department budgets, profit margins and overall

sales volume for each division. Extensive travel to Europe, Asia and South

America.

Cole Haan/Nike, Yarmouth, ME August 1989 -

December 1994

$450M Specialty Wholesaler

Design Director - Men's and Women's Accessories and Footwear

Developed seasonal accessory products including Handbags, Luggage, Belts,

Small Leather Goods, Footwear and Hosiery. Traveled to all regions of

Asia, Europe, South and Central America.

. Successfully launched a Men's Hosiery collection that resulted in an

additional $1M in revenue sales within the first year.

. Directly involved in the creation, design, development and sourcing of

Women's Handbags and instrumental in the launch of the Women's retail

Handbag division for all store levels.

Previous experience with retail store management.

EDUCATION

BA Finance, University of Mississippi, 1983

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