Kanwal Sheikh Khalid

Strategic and commercially driven Footwear Designer and Merchandiser with 6+ years of progressive experience in ladies footwear design, seasonal collection development, product merchandising, market research, sampling coordination, and production handover. Proven ability to translate fashion trends, customer insights, brand direction, and business objectives into commercially successful footwear ranges. Experienced in leading design projects, developing sketches and technical specifications, coordinating with vendors and cross-functional teams, presenting concepts to clients, and ensuring products meet quality, cost, timeline, and market expectations.

Designer / Merchant at Service Sales Corporation (2025-10 – Present)

• Experienced in leading end-to-end footwear design projects, developing sketches and technical specifications, coordinating with vendors and cross-functional teams, and presenting concepts to clients. Conduct trend forecasting, market analysis, competitor review, color research, and material exploration to define seasonal design directions aligned with brand positioning and customer demand.
• Develop design concepts, sketches, product details, and technical specifications while coordinating with sampling and production teams to ensure accurate execution.
• Manage merchandising activities including costing inputs, vendor coordination, sample follow-up, timeline tracking, and delivery readiness.
• Collaborate with production, quality, sales, and merchandising teams to ensure final products meet client requirements, commercial goals, quality standards, and timeline expectations.

Assistant Manager, Ladies Footwear Designing at Spartans Global (Formerly Onsole) (2024-06 – 2025-10)

• Manage seasonal ladies' footwear design projects from concept direction to development execution, ensuring alignment with brand strategy, market trends, production feasibility, and customer expectations.
• Drive product innovation by introducing updated materials, last shapes, sole designs, construction ideas, and trend-led design solutions.
• Coordinate designers, technical teams, merchandising, sampling, and production stakeholders to streamline workflow and strengthen cross-functional execution.
• Monitor project timelines, development progress, resources, deliverables, and documentation to support timely completion of seasonal collections.
• Prepare design reports, specifications, presentations, and product development records to support stakeholder communication and strategic decision-making.

Senior Ladies Footwear Designer at Spartans Global (Formerly Onsole) (2022-06 – 2024-06)

• Led creative direction and design development for ladies' footwear collections, ensuring alignment with seasonal fashion trends, brand identity, commercial objectives, and client requirements.
• Mentored junior designers, reviewed design output, and improved team productivity through structured feedback, guidance, and design process support.
• Presented design concepts to clients, captured feedback, and translated requirements into refined, market-ready footwear solutions.
• Managed prototype and sample development with technical and production teams, ensuring design accuracy, product quality, and production readiness.
• Analyzed product performance, customer feedback, and market response to refine future collections and strengthen design strategy.

Executive Ladies Footwear Designer at Spartans Global (Formerly Onsole) (2020-12 – 2022-06)

• Developed footwear lines based on market needs, consumer preferences, seasonal trends, product gaps, and business requirements.
• Collaborated with upper makers, lasting teams, technical experts, and production partners to ensure design feasibility, construction accuracy, and product quality.
• Prepared design reports, seasonal trend references, market analysis, design rationale, and presentation materials for internal review and decision-making.
• Managed prototype and sample development, providing corrections and feedback to improve design accuracy, fitting, finishing, and production readiness.
• Participated in design reviews with merchandising and marketing teams to refine product offerings and improve market relevance.

Executive Ladies Footwear Merchandiser at Reefland - Waresa Industry Pvt Ltd (2019-08 – 2020-07)

• Conducted seasonal performance analysis and gap assessment to identify product opportunities, improvement areas, and merchandising priorities.
• Developed buying plans using sales trends, demand forecasts, fashion insights, color direction, and market analysis.
• Coordinated with vendors to support material sourcing, negotiations, delivery timelines, and quality expectations.
• Partnered with design, production, and marketing teams to align merchandising plans with seasonal collection development, launches, and promotional activity.

Junior Ladies Footwear Designer at Reefland - Waresa Industry Pvt Ltd (2018-10 – 2019-07)

• Supported senior designers in developing seasonal winter and summer ladies' footwear collections aligned with fashion trends, customer preferences, and market demand.
• Prepared design sketches, technical specifications, mood boards, and presentation materials for design reviews and collection planning.
• Assisted with prototype and sample development, coordinating with manufacturers to maintain design accuracy and quality standards.
• Monitored competitor products and industry trends to contribute insights for product development and design innovation.

Bachelor's in Leather Accessories and Footwear Design – Pakistan Institute of Fashion & Design