Sarah Schwennsen
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
orange county | United States
Skills
No information
Industries
Lifestyle
Outdoor
Summary
Activity
Work experience
GLOBAL TREND LAB LLC
CREATIVE DIRECTOR | 02/2015 - Current
·Curate research, design and development for clients specific for their needs
·Create trend reports including runway and retail edits
·Designed and developed Satva Living eco friendly yoga/lifestyle brand from concept through production
·Designed plus size assortment for Gaiam for different channels of distribution
TORRID/HOT TOPIC
DESIGN DIRECTOR | 02/2008 - 02/2015
Directed and inspired a team of product, textile, and tech designers to create 17 collections/year
Set direction seasonally including color, concept, key outfits, and volume drivers
Responsible for building design infrastructure to grow the internally designed product to 95% of total company
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Launched new product initiatives and designer collaborations as well as new brand concepts
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Created and developed denim fits, fabrics, and wash assortment for wall and fashion styles
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Responsible building design infrastructure from scratch to a team of 10 designers/10 graphic artists
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Traveled globally for market/trend research and product development for all categories
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Created inspiring trend presentations for entire company that set the direction for the season
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Developed concept and outfit stories for stores and ecommerce including initial direction for mailers
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Store count grew from 135-300 +during my tenure
PRANA
HEAD DESIGNER ACTIVE | 10/2007 - 02/2008
Strategically designed active wear collection including color, fabric, and print development
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First collection to be placed in Nordstrom’s and Dillard’s stores
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Developed new eco friendly performance fabric for the fitness collection
MARIKA GROUP
DESIGN DIRECTOR | 06/2006 - 10/2007
Directed all functions of the company in research and design including graphics, sample and pattern makers
Designed 3 different brands including Marika, Balance Collection, and Shiva Shakti which included performance, yoga, and lifestyle apparel
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Strong partnership with cross functional teams of sales, merchandising, marketing, and product development
RAMPAGE STORES/CHARLOTTE RUSSE
DIRECTOR OF TREND & DESIGN | 11/2004 - 05/2006
Set direction of color, concept, and silhouette direction for the 64 contemporary Rampage stores
Developed exclusive product with vendors along with merchant team
MERVYNS/TARGET CORP
DESIGN MANAGER | 01/1999 - 10/2004
Created, designed, and managed process of private label brands of all product categories including trend, color, fabrication, and technical details for $115M volume
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Initiated launch of new brand “French Laundry”
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Developed denim assortment for junior brand Ellemenno and Missy/Plus brand Hillard & Hanson
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Traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and US executing product details
LEVI STRAUSS & CO
DESIGN DIRECTOR | 02/1994 - 10/1999
New brand launch of L2 for lower price fashion collection
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Opportunity to move throughout company with restructuring and growth and had positions in all design divisions
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Continually developed new fits, fabrics, and finishes by working closely with patternmakers, fabric mills, and laundries both domestically and oversea
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Initiated new Plus size denim assortment with new fits, features, and details
Education history
Colorado State University
BS | 1983 - 1987
PARIS FASHION INSTITUE
CERTIFICATE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS | 1986 - 1986
