Susan Sanders

Production and manufacturing professional with 10+ years of experience managing global supply chains, product development, production planning, vendors, factories, costing, quality, and logistics. Extensive hands-on experience working directly with U.S. and Chinese manufacturing partners, including seven years on-site in Guangzhou and Hangzhou. BFA from Otis College of Art and Design.

Production Manager at MAD-E-WELL LA (2023-01 – 2026-03)

Manufacturing & Development Company managing full-lifecycle production for Key Brand Portfolios: Bleusalt • Fairwell • Where I'm From

• Managed full-lifecycle production and high-volume domestic factory scheduling from prototype handoff through delivery.
• Coordinated production schedules, seasonal calendars, materials, quality standards, and factory capacity across multiple product categories.
• Partnered directly with cutting and sewing facilities to resolve production issues and maintain delivery timelines.

Independent Lead Production Consultant at GLOBAL APPAREL SOURCING & PRODUCTION CONSULTING (2016-01 – 2023-12)

Key Portfolios: Amiri • Hellstar • Harley-Davidson • Lyrical Lemonade

• Managed commercial execution of 75+ complex SKUs per season for premium and global brands.
• Spent seven years managing on-site operations at manufacturing facilities in Guangzhou and Hangzhou, auditing factory capacity, negotiating costs, approving mass-production tooling, and managing production timelines.
• Built cost-auditing, price-negotiation, WIP, and production-planning systems to protect margins and maintain delivery schedules.
• Coordinated high-volume Los Angeles production with incoming international materials and shipments.

Production Manager at RASA / ATHLETICORPS (2019-01 – 2019-12)

• Managed cross-border manufacturing operations, production scheduling, and sampling between Los Angeles and Fujian factories.
• Built standardized tech packs, purchase orders, and WIP trackers to reduce communication gaps and pre-production rejection rates.

Designer, Product Developer & Production Manager at LF THE BRAND / CARMAR DENIM / EMMA & SAM (2018-01 – 2019-12)

• Accelerated product concepts into mass production through domestic and international sourcing of hardware, trims, and fabrics.
• Negotiated multi-tier costing structures with manufacturing partners to protect profitability.

Fashion Designer, Product Developer & Production Manager at MGA ENTERTAINMENT (BRATZ) (2014-01 – 2016-12)

• Executed design, sampling, and commercialization of global apparel, footwear, and accessories lines with multi-million-dollar retail footprints.
• Partnered with Tier-1 Chinese factories on mass production, tooling approvals, budgets, and corporate quality assurance.

Production Planning Instructor (Part-Time Adjunct) at NEW YORK SCHOOL OF DESIGN (2026-01 – Present)

• Teach production planning, WIP management, BOM construction, costing, sourcing, and global manufacturing processes.

BFA in Fashion Design – OTIS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN (2010-01 – 2014-12)