Leigh GALLAGHER

-As a Freelance Trend Forecaster, I curate trend reports for Fossick Trends, who are a marketplace for independent Trend Forecasters to showcase and sell their own work.

https://www.fossicktrends.com/leigh-gallagher

-Collaborated with Noise Noise Noise, a specialist studio in retail design & brand activations, offering a trend consultancy service which included:

Trend Forecasting/Social Trend Analysis/Customer Profiling/Brand Strategy/Design Concept

https://www.noisenoisenoise.com.au

-Guest Lecturer at RMIT’s Associate Degree course in Fashion & Technology. I present a ‘Trend Forecasting Workshop’ to new students on the Capstone project, each semester.

-Led design team (8-10) to execute strategic product strategy achieving 5 % margin gains

-Identified, developed and presented Trend, Colour, Print and Design Direction seasonally

-Travelled internationally & locally for inspiration, capturing streetstyle looks globally

-Designed commercial, co-ordinated on-trend product for the target youth customer

-Developed key relationships with suppliers in China, leading to innovative fabric sourcing and exceptional product development

-Key player in the leadership team that created a new and dynamic brand vision for Factorie in the market, differentiating from other brands in the Cotton on Group and Australian high street and maintaining successive sales growth over 5 quarters (South Africa)

Job Achievements:

-Established, recruited and led in-house design and graphic team resulting in significantly increased speed to market and achieving the goal of 100% of all product designed in-house.

-Introduced in-house designed FILA and UMBRO ranges, with a streetwear focus, which contributed an average of 30% of total sales off 10% of stock.

-Signed off on all visual creative content for ecommerce, driving sales from 4% to 9% online for total brand.

-Championed the sourcing strategy to maximise the use of sustainable cotton in the supply base and garment construction. Increasing the used proportion of sustainable cotton from under 70% to above 95% in first year.

-Established a partnership with the Associate Degree in Fashion Design and Technology within the RMIT School of Fashion and Textiles to engage with new talent in the industry leading to recruitment into the brand.

-Led graphic design team (5) & product developers to re-design the pre-existing product offer

-Identified, developed and presented Trend, Colour, Print and Design Direction seasonally

-Led design concept and signed off on all yardage & graphic artwork

-Designed commercial, cohesion, on-trend youth ranges for the target customer

-Identified new product opportunities to grow the brand (Sleepwear & Gifts)

-Customer profiling & studying consumer behaviours, leading to the creation of 'Style Tribes'

-Styling for campaigns & E-comm shoots

Job Achievements:

-Led design team to execute strategic product strategy achieving an increase in buying margin, which was the highest for Apparel across the Cotton On Group:

-Year 1 (BM 60%) increased to Year 3 (79.3%).

-Instrumental in turning around negative EBIT results in year 1 and year 2 (Y1 -25M loss, Y2 $15M) to a much-decreased loss in Year 3 (Y3 $3m loss).

Acheived 1st Class Honours

I completed my Diploma in Industrial Studies as a full-time placement with Charnos Lingerie Group, who designed & manufactured their own range of lingerie, as well as lingerie for Marks & Spencers.