Associate Product Developer, Accessories + Footwear - Alo Yoga - Beverly Hills, CA
(2024-07)
- Own end-to-end product development across hair accessories, socks, and premium accessory categories, leading the full lifecycle from concept through commercialization across four concurrent seasonal calendars.
- Serve as the primary product development partner to Design, Merchandising, Technical Design, and Sourcing, aligning cross-functional teams and external vendors to deliver products that meet brand standards for quality, margin, and timeline.
- Manage complex vendor development across multiple factories, proactively identifying and mitigating risks related to materials, color approvals, construction, and production readiness.
- Drive cost optimization initiatives through vendor negotiations, sourcing strategy, and product engineering, achieving a 10% year-over-year reduction in Average Unit Cost (AUC) while maintaining quality and design intent.
- Led vendor diversification initiatives across key hair accessory styles, successfully reducing product cost by 50% and generating ~$200K in seasonal savings while maintaining product quality and performance standards.
- Partner with vendors and internal teams to engineer product improvements, including hardware and material updates that improved durability and reduced negative customer feedback on core styles.
- Implemented new SOPs for color approval workflows and lab dip submissions, improving process efficiency and reducing sample turnaround delays across accessories development.
- Maintain ownership of development tracking tools including PLM data, BOMs, seasonal WIP trackers, and vendor timelines, ensuring clear visibility into development status and critical path milestones.
- Mentor and onboard new team members, improving team alignment on documentation, vendor communication, and development processes.
Product Development Coordinator, Accessories + Footwear - Alo Yoga - Beverly Hills, CA
(2022-05 - 2024-07)
- Supported development across hair accessories, socks, and cold-weather categories, managing the execution of seasonal development from design handoff through production readiness.
- Coordinated cross-functional communication between Design, Merchandising, Production, Technical Design, and overseas vendors, ensuring timely approvals and alignment throughout the development process.
- Managed SMS development for 300+ SKUs per season, overseeing sample ordering, tracking, and delivery to ensure 100% on-time sample completion for key merchandising milestones.
- Led packaging development for new accessories, partnering with creative and merchandising teams to design functional and brand-aligned packaging solutions.
- Maintained development reporting tools including WIP trackers, sample logs, and cost sheets, providing leadership teams visibility into product status and seasonal progress.
- Supported vendor negotiations and costing reviews, contributing to improved cost efficiency and development timelines.
Assistant Product Developer, Women's Apparel + Denim - Torrid - City of Industry, CA
(2020-12 - 2022-05)
- Supported development across women's woven and denim categories, managing vendor communication to ensure prototypes, samples, and production milestones stayed on schedule.
- Reviewed development samples for fit, construction, and quality, identifying risks early and collaborating with Technical Design to resolve issues prior to production.
- Partnered cross-functionally with Design, Merchandising, and Sourcing to align product design, material selection, and construction methods.
- Maintained development tracking across four overlapping seasonal calendars, managing WIP reports, costing sheets, and vendor submissions.
- Supported prototype costing and vendor negotiations, helping identify opportunities to optimize development budgets.
Product Developer - Golden Green, LLC - Los Angeles, CA
(2019-09 - 2020-12)
- Managed end-to-end product development for private label programs supporting brands including Zella, Stitch Fix, Marine Layer, and Joe's Jeans.
- Oversaw fabric development with mills and dye houses, coordinating lab dips, print approvals, and color standards to ensure consistency across production.
- Collaborated daily with patternmakers, sample room teams, and production partners to troubleshoot development challenges and refine construction.
- Maintained WIP and T&A reports to track product development progress across multiple client programs.
- Provided technical feedback on prototype samples to improve garment fit, durability, and production efficiency.
Product Display Specialist - Nordstrom Rack/Hautelook - Culver City, CA
(2018-09 - 2019-09)
- Built and proofed online product pages to ensure accurate information, clear presentation, and a cohesive digital shopping experience.
- Collaborated with Buying, Merchandising, Production, and Photo Studio teams to maintain product accuracy and brand consistency.
- Monitored live product pages for errors or missing assets, proactively identifying and resolving issues to uphold quality standards.
- Supported visual merchandising initiatives through organized product data and high-quality digital display standards.
