Fashion

Director of Design

Top Management

I am a Product Design Professional with over 20 years of progressive experience. My career has allowed me to lead the creative strategy, development, and finalizing of marketing collateral for fashion, accessories, and housewares brands.

My continued success is rooted in my ability to manage creative teams, oversee product and brand development, and lead global souring actions.

I have a proven track record of working with non-technical stakeholders to understand creative and marketing objectives. Crafts unique and engaging styles for consumer goods.

I also have earned a Degree in Retail Merchandising.

Please feel free to contact me at Leahniswonger1994@gmail.com

Proficiencies: Creative Strategy, Art Direction, Product Development, Brand Development, Product Line Management, Global Sourcing, Project Management, Creative Team Management, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, G-Suite


Founded and manage creative development of women’s casual cover-ups and caftans; lead development of original product designs, oversee all branding elements, manage product sourcing from international vendors, and spearhead marketing collateral development.

Develop all branding elements, including labels, hangtags, and packaging, ensure compliance with retail standards, and launch and manage new programming; lead creation and implementation of new marketing and messaging standards, drive content development, and oversee all project management, digital presence, and marketing analytics.

Manage special sourcing and purchasing programs, review pricing and product specifications from multiple suppliers, lead pricing and sample request process, review quality for in-store and online feasibility, select preferred vendor and product, and negotiate costs and volumes; enabled company to go-live with multiple successful products with favorable margins. 

Oversee all aspects of photo, video, and multimedia production, oversee production planning, workflows, and final editing, work with vendor stakeholders to help them understand business and aesthetic objectives of creative content, and manage production crew.

Lead creation and posting of engaging written, photo, and video content to build an online presence, and manage social analytics including reposts, comments, click-through rates, and leads to optimize effort and spend; update campaigns according to social media analytics to improve overall engagement. 




Spearheaded creative direction, design, and development for women’s headwear, accessories, and home-wares producer; responsible for overseeing 6 brands consisting of over 1000 SKU’s, managed internal creative team, and guided sourcing and buying strategies. 

Grew annual revenue from $3M to $11M, expanded company from 1 to 6 brands, and increased SKU’s 4x during tenure.  

Established new branding and messaging standards, updated internal mission, vision, goals, and values, and worked with leadership to create new marketing strategies.

Led development and implementation of new product design operations, focused new standards around attractive design, ascetics, and customer preferences. 

Managed creative team consisting of Production, Design, and Merchandising Specialists, led development and implementation of over 800 new products and designs annually, and trained on proper design, vendor relations, and project management best practices.

Maintained up to date knowledge of fashion and market trends, competitor offerings, and customer preferences, developed comprehensive reporting, and presented seasonal design and trend analysis to cross-functional teams. 

Developed retail partnerships with over 2,000 boutiques, gift shops, and resorts, analyze buying patterns, regularly reviewed KPI’s, including sales, returns, and discount levels, and forecasted future trends and sales levels to plan new designs and product buys months in advance.

Spearheaded vendor relationships, partnered with stakeholders to negotiate terms and conditions for new items, developed new relationships at various industry trade shows and internal meetings, manage communication via phone and email, and work closely to identify and resolve issues with products and sales. 





Director Of Design

Supported the buyer in product selection of women’s plus apparel, based on trend analysis and market research, in a fast-paced buying office.


Assistant Buyer

Supported the buyer in product selection of junior dresses and denim, based on trend analysis and market research, in a fast-paced buying office.


Leah Niswonger is a Director of Design at L E A H in San Diego, CA. View their experience, skills and work history on Malakye — the professional network for…

Leah Niswonger — Director of Design at L E A H

Leah Niswonger

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Education history

Fashion Careers College of California