APPLICATION FOR HEAD OF PRODUCT
Experienced manager, merchandiser, and bag artisan with a demonstrated history of working in the fashion & accessories industry. Skilled in leather accessory design & construction, creative direction, styling, content creation, retail, sales, and commercial sewing with a focus on process excellencies and elevated customer experience.
MY JOURNEY
My bag making days began in high school; developing my passion for design, collaboration, craftsmanship and customer connection.
Transitioning to Chicago, I attended Columbia College to develop my craft and study fashion while beginning my visual & product management career journey.
Upon graduating with my Bachelors degree in Fashion Merchandising & Management, I advanced in retail roles while simultaneously cultivating my leather working skills and handbag brand.
Participation in an executive leadership training group led me to strategically plan my exit from retail into an entrepreneurial journey of taking my side-hustle handbag brand and maneuvering full-time.
The next six years were a fully immersive dive into business ownership, collection development, product excellence & delivery, content creation, marketing, relationship building and community involvement.
After a three month crafting apprenticeship in Florence, Italy, I found myself more passionate about developing product & lifestyle excellence with a need to expand creatively; causing the closure of the CHC bag brand and a pivot to fashion design consulting.
An economic turn resulting from the covid-19 pandemic slowed the consulting work while accelerating my need to create & grow with a company that is grounded in a pure & pioneering vision to develop beautiful & responsible products for a conscious consumer.
MEANING MAKER
Over 14 years ago, I was captivated by the role of visual merchandising. It awoke something dormant in me; being a meaning maker. As an introverted young professional, I was empowered by the ability to draw the public into the story of a brand by putting old-school sales tactics to rest and allowing the truth and creative nature of what inspired a piece to be put on display through windows, styling and most importantly, authentic relationships. For the next 7 years, I immersed myself into the roles of merchandise manager and visual store manager through taking the foundational inspiration from the design teams and setting forth a vision (along with budgets, suppliers, team calendars, and the like) to all work in concert, dispersing these stories through every sensory medium possible. This ability blossomed even further as I cultivated my own leather goods brand; taking a side hustle of custom bags to cohesive product lines, wholesale accounts and later direct-to-consumer channels, practicing empathy and production excellence along the way.
CREATIVE CONDUCTOR
While I may favor the more visibly creative portions of a business, I am aware that I thrive in the collaborative arrangement of the various working/moving parts; all in unison to make the most full & beautiful body of work. I have an intuitive ability to see the more in a person, where they shine. I know how to call it out, how to honor it, how to make space for it and when to lean into it for the highest level result. I believe a company will only progress as the lanes of the conscious machine are well maintained through fluid and prompt communication. This begins with the director and is carried to design, to sourcing & production, to promotion, to sales channels and finally the delivery & delight of a community of conscious consumers.
OBSESSOR OVER THE DETAILS
This is an element of value that is a necessity in the luxury market. My keen eye for detail is a result of a healthy combination of nature & nurture. I am the byproduct of a high-level manager and a high-touch artist, along with several years of elevating visual standards within stores and executing design details as a leather artisan; along with the recent schooling of an Italian crafting apprenticeship.
THE VALUE I BRING
- STAT. 1: Owner/Artisan, Chelli Harms Collection
- Created the CHC brand -concept to market- with 6 collections of 40+ mens and womens leather accessories designs. (www.shopchc.com)
- Excel as a leather artisan; handcrafting the CHC inventory and 200+ custom designs.
- Accepted into 5 international fashion trade shows generating 20+ wholesale accounts.
- Directed 54 lifestyle photoshoots and generated product features in 30+ media outlets including NYLON Magazine, WWD, and Allure Magazine.
- Operated as a giving company; with 1,000+ hours volunteered and 10% of profits donated to WINGS.
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STAT. 2: Visual Store Manager, Anthropologie
- Implemented apparel department structure and policies resulting in a promotion to Apparel Department Manager in the region’s largest volume store.
- Successfully managed an overall staff of 30 employees with specific visual merchandising and display training directly to 4 teams of 2 managers reducing annual shrink by 6% during this time.
- Oversaw the launch of 3 company in-store initiatives: shoe department, design showroom, and personal shopping program leading to promotion of Visual Store Manager of a new district store opening.
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STAT. 3: Visual Merchandising Manager, Guess Inc.
- Created a ‘Stockroom Efficiencies System’ as the Stock Lead; resulting in improved sales floor replenishment and a promotion to Lead Key holder.
- Initiated a successful ‘Accessories Sales Growth Strategy’ ending with a promotion to Lead Visual Merchandising Manager at another location.
- Increased the store's power rank within the region by 12%.
I’m excited to hear from you.
Chelli Look chelli.look@gmail.com (309)-472-2335