Lacey Corkery
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About
I have a passion for product and design whether it be apparel, swim, beauty, accessories, or pet products… You name it, I am probably obsessed with it. My passion for design started young, beginning with my barbies when I learned how to make their clothes. Fast forward and I am now an expert in design, product development, trend research and I have been successfully creating product for Maui and Sons. I’m a huge people person and love the process of working with all the individuals that help make the concept of a product become a reality. I’ve worn many hats throughout my career - designer, assistant, stylist, retail consultant, product development, production coordinator. Thankfully all these roles have made me better as a designer and developer as I understand the needs from manufacturer to consumer.
As my career has grown, I’ve continued building and nurturing professional partnerships. At Maui and Sons, I’ve come into a more executive role working directly with current and potential licensees and clients to build the company as well as contributing “big ideas” to enhance the brand. This has been an extremely exciting position for me as I get to meet new people as well as present new products and receive feedback from different retailers and markets that enhances the product and creativity.
When I am not working or doing market research (aka shopping), you can find me hanging out with my Australian Shepherd pup and enjoying the outdoors whether it be hikes, neighborhood runs or dog park trips. Luckily the dog doesn’t mind shopping either and can be seen with me on the weekends while out and about doing research.
I love making new acquaintances so don’t hesitate to reach out about design or development or if you want to share something that you’re excited about!
Expertise: Mens & Womens Contemporary, Swimwear and Activewear Design | Trend Research/Forecasting | Color Direction | Technical Flat Sketches | Trim/Textile Design | Technical Specification Packages | Presentation Boards | Hand and Computer Illustration | Garment Construction/Sewing | Patternmaking/Draping
Associated Brands: Walmart | Costco | Macys | Ross | TJMaxx | Winners | Burlington | Urban Outfitters | Nordstrom | Pacsun | Hautelook | Zulily
Skills: Development | Planning & Organization | Creative Thinking | Quality Enhancement | Strategic Thinking | Team Building & Leadership | Brand Strategy Alignment | Effective Communication | Attention To Detail | Time Management | Initiative & Problem Solving -
Education
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BFA Fashion DesignColumbia College Chicago
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Experience
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Design DirectorLos Angeles, CAJul 2014 - Present (10 years 4 months)Provide seasonal direction to team to grow Maui and Sons as an authentic, California surf lifestyle brand. Responsible for designing, directing and managing the development of mens, womens, boys and girls swimwear, apparel and accessories. Work closely with leaders in Sales and Management on seasonal direction, product deliverables and brand vision. Collaborate with Art Director on yearly and seasonal strategies and design concepts. Deliver continual flow of market trend, innovation and competitive insight, assuring company is at the forefront of new innovations, technologies and industry directions. Develop the departmental plans, long term roadmaps/business strategies, and organizational priorities. Inspire and lead the design process in others to help achieve results that support brand and business initiatives. Manage teams to meet all calendar deadlines in development cycle. Drive creation of product lines that meet company expectations for sales, profitability and reflect the brand DNA. Manage and direct the creative direction of all e-commerce, lookbook, product and lifestyle photoshoots.
• Contribute “big ideas” to strategically enhance the brand while keeping in line with company direction and objectives.
• Increase annual apparel volume from $1 million wholesale to over $5 million in USA.
• Build effective internal and external partnerships to actively promote cross-functional collaboration to insure goals are achieved.
• Travel internationally to propose new opportunites for retailers and/or design groups.
• Successfully completed seasonal licensee SMU projects.
• Create and maintain new partnerships with retailers increasing annual apparel sales. -
Senior DesignerMaui and SonsMar 2011 - Jun 2014 (3 years 3 months)Designed and developed seasonal apparel collections. Created seasonal color and developed trend direction. Researched seasonal trends, identifying new colors, fabric and silhouettes. Created supporting artwork for all categories that illustrate design concepts and tell stories to the Marketing, Merchandising and Sales teams. Created technical specification packages that accurately communicate product details. Created seasonal designs and layouts for sales and lookbook catalogs. Managed all phases of Pre-Production from design concepts through finished goods. Oversaw all pre-production processes including fabric submissions, fabric, construction, trims, measurements, quality, lab dips and strikeoffs. Determined appropriate pricing strategy and delivery of merchandise to ensure that margin goals were reached. Designed and develop SMU programs for international and domestic licensees.
• Expanded strategies, spearheading new categories, including activewear, accessories, lounge, athletic and beauty/suncare division.
• Created best selling designs and reorders that increased yearly sales by $300,000
• Increased sales up to 45% in mens swimwear and knitwear categories.
• Traveled to China to collaborate with manufacturers on design development and reduce production timing.
• Maintained and developed all Time & Action Calendars coordinating Pre-Production, Production, Tech Design, Sales and
Merchandising -
Design AssistantMaui and SonsJun 2010 - Mar 2011 (9 months)Collaborated with Head Designer to establish creative direction. Designed seasonal collections with CAD, fabric and trim developments. Created flat sketches for presentation boards and tech packs as well as vision/inspiration boards and style concepts. Communicated with domestic and overseas vendors to source fabric, trim and artwork techniques for product development. Tracked development on all development, proto, salesman, photoshoot and production samples. Created, maintained, updated and distributed WIP reports with factories to support production status and deliveries. Prepared handover from development phase to our internal production team for multiple product lines.
• Developed company’s standard design processes/tools and archive, reducing errors and increasing efficiency by 35%
• Reduced development costs by 40% by improving tech pack quality and efficiency.
• Received press recognition at events and fashion shows which further promoted the brand.
• Established trusting relationships with suppliers and vendors.
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Awards
Top 3 Finalist of the Chicago Fashion Foundation Competition (2008)
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Industries
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Skills
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Elsewhere on the Web
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On Coroflot@laceycorkery, member since 2013
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Followers 4
