David Fowlkes Jr.

Creative lead for PA based design consultancy, which specializes in product design, project management and development services. Clients include Deckers Corp., Reebok and The Athlete’s Foot amongst others. Proven successful in celebrating creativity while managing development and cost. Robust market research, ideation, sketching and 3D modeling and rapid prototyping services offered.

Spearheaded entire product design process from ideation through post-production. Responsible for complete design, development and testing of over 40 commercialized products. Introduced such innovations as exotic wood finishes, component detailing and many other firsts in the aftermarket wheel industry. Invented and patented one of the most widely recognized wheel technologies to date. This innovation catapulted Davin Wheels to triple digit growth in annual revenues within 4 years of inception and has collectively grossed an estimated $250 million throughout the industry. Led a full team of employees including engineering and production. Responsible for brand identity and maintenance relative to core strategies. Managed BOM and all sourcing activities including manufacturer review and vetting, 1st article review and approval and production standards verification. Researched and identified emerging trends within the automotive aftermarket, which aligned future direction of product offering. Heavily involved in P&L activity including costing and gross margin planning.

Hired as first in house designer for And One Basketball. Drove design direction for inline and special make up programs. Tasked with analyzing trend resources and market research to create seasonal product. Designed marquee shoes for Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter and Stephon Marbury. Led development production verification efforts in Shanghai, China to insure proper translation of original product intent. Organized inspirational trips to provide design direction for future seasons. Responsible for managing outside freelance design relationships.

Designed key product and influenced design direction within related categories including Children’s, Women’s Fitness, Tennis, and Basketball. Spearheaded new design philosophy in children’s footwear, which yielded higher sales volume. Extensive study of human anatomy and function as well as in-depth materials training. Accelerated product development and yielded consumer focused solutions. Designed marquee shoes for Venus Williams.

Responsible for complete redesign of the Rowbike, invented by Scott Olson (inventor of the Rollerblade). Successful in reducing cost by 75% and reducing weight of the Rowbike by 45% while implementing a more modern, ergonomic design. Other duties included developing BOM, sourcing, vendor management, development and implementation of testing procedures. Created company brand identity, including primary logo and ad campaign used at that time.

Designed an assortment of licensed apparel for retail lines. Licenses included NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL, IHL and Collegiate.