Karen Kwak
Product Development
Summary
Drive for results, exceeding goals successfully; consistently a top performer, pushes self and others for results.
I am customer focus both internal and external and dedicated to maintain effective relationships to gain trust and respect.
I am unique and creative and can easily make connections due to my interpersonal savvy skills.
I persevere and pursue every task with full energy and drive to learn quick when facing new problems, a versatile learner that is open to change and analyzes success and failure for improvement. I can effectively cope with change and quickly shift gears comfortably dealing with ambiguity of changing businesses.
I strategically operate with knowledge and perspective and encourage thinking outside the box. I build effective teams to foster open dialogues and create a strong spirit in the team to reach for success. I provide current, direct and complete actionable positive and corrective feedback to others and not afraid of constructive or negative criticisms.
Experience
Director of Product Development
SwimUSA / NEW YORK
- Responsible for all sourcing and development of Trims, Marketing, Fabric, Applications, and Apparel cover ups
- Lead Product management of cover ups for entire organization due to lack of personnel support in apparel along with managing Design, Development and Production
- Lead in building processes of all testing protocols (raw materials) for internal, external private label and applying them to customer requirements
- Color management based on customer requirements for all solids and prints
- Developing new technique ideas based on market inspiration
- Traveling overseas 3-4 times a year evaluating garment factories and onboarding them to evaluate their readiness to bulk production, onboarding printing factories and building processes around submissions and TNA, bringing in new factories to overall production process like graphic factories or new finishing factories/agents, providing guidance to vendor partners on problem solving issues and strategical business planning for future seasons
- Attended numerous fabric and trim trade shows overseas and domestic
- Responsible for multiple direct report growth and performance along with numerous personnel referrals to overall organization
Manager Product Development
Victoria Secret PINK / New York
- Category leads for intimates & swim for prints/ patterns and graphics working with various cross functional partners on ensuring surface approvals across all print match categories
- Partnering with region partners on risk factors and ensuring tight deadlines are met on approvals in all development
- Responsible for new technique development and ensuring testing of techniques are approved through quality check list with agents and vendors
- Working with design operations on updates on new and current processes and calendar deliverables
- Attendance on fits as needed for graphic commercialization on techniques that may affect overall fit
- Repeated participant in corporate task forces in order to apply new processes to overall organization
- Responsible for multiple direct report growth and performance
Director of Product Fabric, Trim Development
Aeropostale Inc. / new
- Lead product manager for Bethany Mota collection along with other special corporate strategic initiatives from pre-production concepts to shipping product and prepping for photo shoot fittings
- Responsible for all fabric development and wash development across all categories in knits and wovens
- Manage all trim and marketing development across entire organization
- Partnering with vendors and cross functional partners on new product, silhouettes, trends, fabrics in tight target price points, working collaboratively with design on meeting specific targets
- Annual sourcing/shopping trips to LA, Western Hemisphere and Asia
- Scheduling vendor mill week presentations and attending fabric sourcing shows
- Counter gold standard qualities across various vendors/suppliers
[Achievements / Performances]
- Two time Partners in Profit winner, lead In successful launch of the Bethany Mota collection
Education
parsons school of design
bachelor's of fine arts / fashion design
Skills
