Mark Ratzlaff

Designer for Boys kids footwear
In my current role, I am primarily in the creative side of footwear design, but I touch a little bit of every part of the business. I research and then develop concepts on my own or as projects are given to me that fit into the DNA of our brand. I will then work with merchandisers and developers to find the most effective way to bring those ideas into our line. Beyond concepting and designing an idea, I am responsible for the technical development, costing, and many times, the marketing and packaging. I have even developed character design, illustrated a comic book, and storyboarded a commercial for a marketing campaign. I like to think of the design process in a big picture kind of way. Instead of just working on one "cool shoe", I try to think of how this fits into the brand, and the marketplace, and if it is relevant and the most compelling way to market it. Although I do not always play a role in every aspect, I like to think of it in a way that sets firm foundation for others on the team to build on. Many of my most successful projects have come from that solid foundation, and then collaborating with our team to bring it to market.

Although our team is very collaborative, and I can find myself working on any category from women's casuals, sandals, and even kids shoes at times, my main focus is on Women's Athletic Development and design. I work in collaboration with several designers, bringing my technical skillset and experience to the table. I travel to our factory partners two or more times a year to ensure product development is executed according to plan as well as working alongside pre-production and production teams to ensure quality in the factories.

My role in Innovation Concepts is the management of the project calendar, and spearheading projects from concept through prototyping, testing, and final execution. Innovation as defined by our brand is not only improving performance, but sometimes it means researching new methods of prototyping, new ways to lower cost, or just a new way of looking at an old idea. It's not always about thinking outside the box... but rather going to the corners, because at the end of the day, we still have to make product that sells!

I was the Lead designer for Payless athletics, Lazerlights branded children's footwear, Bareflex Children's footwear, and Cheeks by Tony Little. I was responsible for planning the line in coordination with the product director and the sales team. This included market research, trend forecasting and designing the right product for the target consumer.

Responsible for designing all the Men's private label athletic as well as a number of brands: Shaun White, Gotcha, Finesse, Ocean Pacific, Danskin Now, Starter, Mitre and Easton.

Designed all private label children's athletic product for Walmart, Payless, Target and other major retailers.

Designed private label mens, womens, and children's athletic footwear for Walmart, Payless, and Target.