Fashion

Lifestyle

Design and Business Development Consultant

A creative, multidisciplinary product design professional with 15 yrs. of functional and strategic experience in design, development and brand assurance, led by over 10 years of expertise in footwear and accessories manufacturing and retail.

My role is as a consultant is to establish and develop the Design and New Business Development division within the umbrella of Naigai group. Key projects managed fall under footwear, leather apparels and small leather goods.


Design and Market Trend Reports
Design Directions for Product Development
New Business Development Initiatives
Manufacturing Liaison

(www.arvindbrands.com), Bangalore, India.
May 2015 -July 2018, 3 years 2 months

Business Focus, Brand and Customer Focus, Driving Execution, Leading Teams, Driving Innovation, Building Talent

Arvind lifestyle Brands Limited is a subsidiary of Arvind Limited, which is India's largest integrated textile player and is one of the oldest and most respected groups in the Textile business in India. Arvind lifestyle brands Limited has been a pioneer in bringing international brands to India. Arvind has licensing relationships with many international brands including GANT, Arrow, Izod, US Polo Association, Nautica, Calvin Klein, Elle, Cherokee, Massimo and Geoffrey Beene. Arvind also has a portfolio of 12 of its own brands like Flying Machine, Ruff and Tuff and True Blue.


Footwear Design
1. Lead a cross functional team for the customisation and implementation of a product lifecycle management (PLM) cloud based system, thereby bringing in efficiency in the concept to shelf (CTF) process. Live from AW2016.

Footwear Product Development
2. Lead the initiative of optimising the number of footwear vendors based on past performance and future projections. This resulted in a substantial saving of INR 30 lacs in the production order for SS2017.

Category Management
3. Developed the Arrow Legacy collection of premium footwear based on the rapid blake construction for AW2017
4. Successfully designed and developed the footwear line for Arvind private label brand 'Ruf and Tuf' for AW2017 trade show.

Product Line Range & Assortment
5. Currently pursuing the initiative of channel wise product mix based on empirical sales data and qualitative analysis, with the goal of achieving the target of 60% sell thru at MRP for SS2018.
Reason for leaving: Relocating to Tokyo to join spouse who is a Japanese national.
Head Design - Footwear and Leather Goods

General Manager - Design and Product Development

(www.saragroup.in), Ruosh (www.ruosh.com) Bangalore, India
May 2010 - 2015, 5 year 1 month

Customer Focus, Product development, Training, Project Management, Driving Innovation.

RUOSH is a men's style brand from the house of Sara Group. Incorporated in 2001, Sara is headquartered in Bangalore and manufactures shoes, soles and leather goods. They export shoes and soles to over 40 organizations across the world. Some well-known clients include Esprit, Johnston & Murphy, Kenneth Cole, Bostonian, Hush Puppies, Loake, Zara, Massimo Dutti, Miss Sixty and Bugatti. Created around a philosophy of celebrating style, Ruosh leads with design. They aim to offer unique and personalized styling to suit the evolving sensibilities and needs of the stylish Indian man, be it for work, a special occasion or a casual outing. Ruosh retails across Exclusive Outlets, Multi brand outlets, Large format Stores, Online and Distribution channels across India.


Design and Development
1. Founding member of the brand Ruosh.
2. Designed and developed new sole moulds in various materials (TPR, Rubber, EVA, TPU, PVC, PU, Expanded PU). A total capex value of over INR 90 lacs, was invested in the same from 2013-2015

Training & Customer Complaints
3. Developed the content for the product training document which was used for sales and employee training across the business.
4. Achieved a standard of ensuring 'a satisfied customer' within 14 days of receipt of product complaint.

Category Management and Product Line Range & Assortment
5. Consistently achieved a sell thru of 60% at MRP from the 3rd season onwards. This led to a core product line, ensuring 30% carryovers from season to season.
6. Within the first 3 months of its launch in 2014, the Small Leather Goods business achieved a volume contribution and gross revenue contribution of 18% and 12% respectively (store wise aggregate for exclusive outlets only)

Small Leather Goods Business Lead & Customised Footwear
7. Researched and validated (with real life consumers) and documented the customised footwear business model proposal. The projections were to the tune of 40-50 pairs sale/ day / store, with an expected average selling price of 8000 INR per pair.


Reason for leaving: Head hunted for better and larger role at Arvind Limited.

Customer Focus, Product development, Training, Project Management

Entrepreneurship, Creative Collaboration, Project Management, Design Research.


1. Industrial Designer - Point of Sale design
HL Display (UK) Ltd.
www.hl-display.com
Full time - 8months

2. Design Research and Illustration
Sabotage Design Ltd.
http://sabotage.london
Contract

3. Branding and Identity, Web Design, Inspirational material research.
Chris Lefteri Design Ltd. http://www.chrislefteri.com
Freelance

4. Fit out Design and Design for Events
Rich Mix Cultural Foundation
www.richmix.org.uk
Full time - 10 months

5. Product Design - Ceramics
Handmade in Britain
http://www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk
Freelance

6. Product Design - Ceramics
Feng Sushi (Japanese Restaurant chain)
http://www.fengsushi.co.uk
Freelance

1. 2008: Design + emotion - Products stirring emotions?' Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe, Germany.
2 August to 2 November 2008.

2. 2008: Seeping and Dreaming' Exhibition

Independent Product, Graphic and Web Designer and Researcher

Footwear and shoe last technology, Footwear making.

Toscana was a Thapar group enterprise, designing, modelling and manufacturing footwear lasts to all major footwear manufacturers and exporters in India.

Shoe last Modelling
Footwear Design and Development
Shoe Fit research and Analysis
Business Development


Reason for leaving: Relocated to London for further education @ Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.

Associate Designer

Find out detailed information about Abhishek Kumar, Design and Business Development Consultant in Ota-ku, 13

Abhishek Kumar: Design and Business Development Consultant in Ota-ku, 13

Abhishek Kumar

Naigai Group

Arvind Lifestyle Brands Ltd

Sara Group

Abiogenesis Design Ltd

Toscana Lasts Ltd

CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY