Creative Director (Head of Design and Product development)
Sedar
Total years of experience :16 years, 9 Months
Company: Burtlan LLC (Design Solutions & Procurement)
March 2016 - Current
Company Profile: Burtlan is a design solution service provider. Our key client is SEDAR, a premium interior design solution company. Burtlan is responsible for product development / buying and creative services for Sedar.
Key Job Duties:
1. Product development (Textiles) using various sewing techniques, dying, embellishment and embroidery.
2. Researching the textile and fashion trends using trend forecast books and visiting trade fairs.
3. Brief the design team to develop print artworks / embroidery patterns for the textile creation. Also develop designs for Interior accessories (Finials, decorative laces etc.)
4. Coordinate between Retail / Visual Merchandising team to make sure the products are displayed in accordance to the themes and all details highlighted.
5. Develop technical specifications and patterns for various curtain drapes / Swags/ Tie backs etc.
6. Simplifying trends and designs to work around the production constraints and mass production friendly.
7. Monitoring the production of approved samples to ensure quality maintenance.
8. Meeting suppliers for various products and carefully selecting products to buy in accordance to the buying strategy and Collection themes/ trends.
9. Sourcing, selecting and buying fabrics, trims, fastenings and embellishments.
Company Profile: House of Hend is a fashion house owned by the Royal family member of Sharjah. The company creates high quality, made to measure clothing for elite clients mainly amongst the royal family of UAE (All seven emirates).
Employed by the Private office of Sheikha Hend Al Qassimi (Owner of the Business and Royal family member of Sharjah, UAE)
Dec 2014- Feb 2016 (1.2 years)
Key Job Duties:
1. Plan seasonal calendar for the collection launch. Plan the production of the clothes accordingly.
2. Keep abreast of new season fashion and trends from fashion shows, celebrity fashion.
3. Create sketches, fabric embellished samples, mood inspiration pictures along with the design team for the Season collection.
4. Attend product development meetings to finalize the garment details, fabric types, treatments etc.
5. Approve visual display concepts/ plans of the products in the retail stores.
6. Source textiles, accessories, various materials with the design team.
7. Contact various potential store buyers to show them our latest collections.
8. Keep track of our old designs, patterns and stock them in order for later use.
9. Develop and design fashion collections aimed for a theme show or special festivities like Ramadan / Eid/ Summer holiday.
10. Work with the production team to make sure they are following the stitching quality and client measurements.
11. Prepare catalogue and fashion photoshoot briefs in terms of look and feel/ location/ styling etc.
12. Collaborate with several fashion magazines to use our fashion clothing pieces to use in photoshoots crediting our brand.
13. Meet with the clients directly to accommodate changes in the dresses for size or design.
14. Take new orders from the clients directly as per their ideas or occasion in mind.
Company Profile: Samim Group is one of the leading player in the tabletop market - Distributing, Marketing, Retailing and Add Value decoration of Décor Items, giftware, Fashion Accessories.
Key Job Duties:
1. Design visual display plans of the Accessories collections.
2. Identify and design key spots for display and concepts for the window displays.
3. Develop Swarovski (crystals) embellishment ideas for various accessories products.
4. Brief and train the sales team to better sell our products by being more specific with product details and inspire our customers with the new trends / themes.
5. Source décor material and props for creative displays. Select suitable textiles for the back drop drapery of various wall bays at the retail store.
6. Do design research for new product ideas, Swarovski crystal application on various products inspired from Fashion and Textiles.
7. Design Visual Merchandising Book for instore display as per the creative theme of the collections.
8. Design special window displays for seasons/ festivals/ promotions.
9. Research for fashion and design trends to allign the collection buying accordingly.
Company Profile: Darsara is a Haute Couture Fashion Atelier catering to High fashion and one of the kind made to measure dresses. The house has prestigious clientele who spend on luxury clothing.
Key Job Duties:
1. Research and monitor market trends domestically and internationally, evaluate the trends that relate to the brand and local market. Draw inspiration from the trends to design for the local clientele.
2. Seasonally initiate collection concepts and determine key items for all categories of the collection (Wedding, Evening wear, Pret’e porter wear, Accessories).
3. Create and design original embroidery artwork for wedding dresses, including all over embellishment design, textile techniques and draping.
4. Draw final sketches with all technical descriptions of fabrics, colors, materials, embellishments and sizes.
5. Plan market visit and online research to keep abreast of the competition, design direction, pricing strategy, retail sale offers.
6. Mentor and guide the design team to work efficiently, meeting deadlines and maintain quality.
7. Select most materials from the vendors/ suppliers in accordance to fashion house budget and quality standards (fabrics/ trims/ dyes).
Company Profile: Wrapt is a Branding & Fashion consultancy. Known for its quirky designs and out of the box design solution for diverse client type.
Key Job Duties:
1. Research and identify respective market trends, Design and develop creative concepts for clients for various requirements like Branding Art/ Fashion shoots / Creative Packaging / Brand Identity design.
2. Create art direction for logos, prints, illustrate patterns, size specification, color schemes for various fashion business packaging and brand outlook.
3. Create creative concepts for the visual displays, window designs for various fashion businesses.
4. Create ideas for product shoots/ promotion. Organize photoshoots with an approved brief and budget for different kinds of products (clothing, accessories, bags, shoes etc.)
5. Prepare creative design and layouts for Ads, Posters, Booklets, Brochures, Magazines and Packaging for Fashion Businesses.
6. Create textiles prints for various clients as per their signature logo and brand look.
7. Provide creative input and technical support to meet marketing objectives that are in line with the brand image and style.
8. Help connect clients with various suppliers and vendors suppling material required for fashion production (Textile/ Accessories/ Craftsmen).
Company Profile: Si fashion gallery is a multi-designer high fashion clothing retail store. They showcase collections of key trend setting designers of the region and international stature. They have their in-house designed fashion clothing line for women evening wear.
Jan 2009- July 2009
Key Job Duties:
1. Work with the fashion design team to plan and execute all design plans effectively, and maintain work flow and necessary timelines.
2. Follow guidance and advice from the head designer, to make changes to the clothing samples according to the notes/ feedback provided.
3. Measure all incoming samples accurately, analyze construction/fit/trims and quality according to the company guidelines.
4. Maintain clear and concise communication with all vendors to regularly update them with changes in the samples and future requirements as per the designs.
5. Maintain all product records as per the codes etc for technical reference or repeat order.
6. Sketch technical drawings of the products for final buying reference given to the supplier.
7. Identify/select fabric, trims, and/or colors for each design and collection. Add it to the buying reference to enrich the details/ instructions for the supplier to create the product samples.
8. Shortlist and document the collections from the regular designers showcasing in the gallery.
Company Profile: Headquartered in Dubai, Splash is Middle East’s largest fashion retailer and part of the Landmark Group, one of the biggest retail conglomerates in the Middle East, India and Africa. Founded in 1993 as a single brand store in Sharjah, Splash currently operates over 220 stores and 55 brand stores (Lee Cooper, Bossini, Kappa etc) across 14 countries.
Key Job Duties:
1. Market research for competition study and fashion trends.
2. Make trend reports to show to the buying team and planners.
3. Designing display concepts and assisting the Visual Merchandise team for retail styling and display.
4. Visit manufacturers or trade shows to get samples of fabric in accordance to the theme of the particular season.
5. Select fabrics, embellishments, colors, or a style for each garment or accessory. Present these as a story to the head designer for editing and selection.
6. Work with other designers or team members to create prototype designs to mainly send as a guideline to the suppliers.
7. Present makeup and fashion styling ideas to the creative director or showcase them in fashion shows.
8. Attend design meetings with the buying team and planners. Follow up the collection design by updating style and product changes accordingly.
2005 – Participation in German Agro World Robes, in a team of 20 members, for the development of a collection. The collection was showcased in indo German Festival in GERMANY. 2005 – Participated in a design project for brand ‘Duckback’, which involved the designing of raincoats, exploratory usage of techno and various synthetic finish materials. 2005: Chamba Embroidery, Himachal Pradesh Government Cluster Initiative involving the diagnostic study, documentation and presentation of the craft. Designed products for innovative and commercial usage of the craft on a high-end design market. 2005: Design Project Diamond wools, New Delhi Developed range of menswear jackets for export market US (New York). 2006: INTERNSHIP Interned with SWAROVSKI India PVT LTD for 3 months. Worked on “international bride couture” project- key areas were swatch development, silhouette, innovative crystal application, fabric art. Developed a high-end range of crystalled corsets with unconventional surface techniques. (Published in Swarovski India magazine). 2006- Designed sportswear, logos, and uniforms for more than 10 state teams, for zee sports channel. 2006- Designed graphics, styling and promotional t-shirts for kids under Disney Corporation. 2007- Participated in ITS#6 (INTERNATIONAL TALENT SUPPORT, TRIESTE ITALY). Enrolled my graduating design collection for the same. 2007- Participated in illustration competition with BUNKA institute, Tokyo, JAPAN. 2007- Participated in MITTELMODA competition, for swimwear. 2007 -participated in WOW (world of wearable art), NEW ZEALAND competition. 2007- Participated in WILLS INDIA FASHION DESIGNER COMPETITION (open to only NIFT students across centre)
