Masters in Finance & Luxury Marketing Management

Product Development, Production & Operations professional with a strong focus on multinational brands with global operations
and international distribution. Background in home goods, apparel & fashion accessory production, market research, and luxury
marketing.

Casper was launched in 2014 as a direct to consumer brand selling mattresses & other bedding items. In addition to its e-comm business, the brand owns 60+ brick-and-mortar stores across North America and its products are
available at major US retailers. The company went public on the NY Stock Exchange in February 2020.
? Vendor selection for specific projects through diligence covering their manufacturing capacities & capabilities,
MOQs (minimum order quantity), initial costing, production & sample lead times.
? Product Development planning for schedule and resource management ensuring product launch milestones were
met on-time.
? Managed POs and supplier management to procure raw materials, tooling, and sampling. Monitored material
receiving, production ramp up and ex-factory schedule, identifying risks that could affect the launch. Proposed
resolutions based on the input from the cross-functional teams.
? Monitored potential transit delays by working closely with the Operations teams. Identified the necessity of air
freight, LTL, FTL container load depending on the shipping lead times. Kept track of the associated cost increase
and the impact on margin.
? Prototype and sample reviews documenting detailed call-outs for suppliers. Worked with designers to direct
technical drawing updates and bill of materials, led weekly internal team meetings to connect on status updates,
problem solving, and aligned on next steps.
? Tracked and communicated product cost and margin updates. Identified opportunities for cost savings and efficient manufacturing that met quality expectations.
? Analyzed the feasibility of new product briefs from a cost, sourcing, and ease of manufacturing point of view.
? In partnership with the packaging & sourcing teams identified sourcing and procurement of standard and custom
packaging materials, supporting budgeting, lead times & costing. Ensured packaging was in place to support new
launches, creating contingency plans to ensure packaging material supply was uninterrupted.
? Worked closely with the compliance manager to determine specific compliance and regulatory requirements,
ensuring Casper's and suppliers' adherence to the specifications and schedules.
? Assisted in establishing processes and organizational systems for efficiency with category growth.
? Approved UPC stickers layout, care & product labels layout and placement, carton marking.

Product Development Specialist

Established in 1984, acquired by LVMH in 2000 and operated by G-III since 2016, DKNY is a New York brand
producing womens & menswear, shoes and accessories, operating in all major markets including Europe & Asia.
? Set up production cost charts based on SMS costing from factories, working to receive missing or updated pricing
when discrepancies with SMS are identified.
? Issued seasonal POs and managed the updates as a result of shifted deliveries, changed duty rates, pricing,
packing & marking requirements along with any additional special instructions.
? Worked with factories to produce and track Ad Samples, Sales Samples and TOPs. Reconciled product
discrepancies between design, sales, and manufactures through monitoring. shipment tracking & communication.
? Maintained the Style Master in ACS Apparel Management, tracking bulk fabric, size scale, and fabric category.
? Assisted Customs department with HTS coding by providing style lists with fabric, design and production
specifications. Acted as a liaison to vendors when HTS issues arise.
? Defined garment care instructions based on FDS sheets and test reports from the fabric departments and mills.
? Approved UPC stickers layout, labels layout & placement, carton marking and packaging.
? Monitored updates to product attributes and ensured these changes were reflected in production cost charts and purchase orders. Communicated these changes to vendors when needed.
? Ensured compliance to T&A calendar by working with cross-functional teams and vendors to meet deadlines for product timely delivery.

Production Assistant Womenswear

Prabal Gurung is a NY based designer and manufacturer of women's high end ready-to-wear. I was involved in coordination of all aspects of local and offshore production operations.
? Created & maintained the T&A calendar, tech docs, production & development samples, and purchase orders.
? Managed logistics of ex-factory shipments to the warehouse. Booked and tracked domestic truck shipments.
Provided intake packing lists. Resolved shortages, loss, or damages with warehouse receiving teams.
? Tracked local and overseas vendors on production status and delivery schedule; Promptly resolving issues as
they arose, escalating and communicating out accordingly when necessary.
? Coordinated weekly sample fittings, capturing production/sales/design fit notes & delivered specs to pattern
makers & factories.
? Sourced raw materials based on initial costing and brand design elements. Managed in-house inventory.
? Oversaw 100% Quality Control and Repairs to ensure garments comply with brand's craftsmanship standards.
? Calculated Initial Costing with input from Production Coordinator and design.
? Fluent in operational and logistics software: Bluecherry (Style Master Manager, UPC Generation, Sales reports etc), EDI Handtag Ordering, Intertrade catalog maintenance.
? Managed company's internship program, recruiting, onboarding, training and development.

Production Assistant

Sailor Made is a manufacturer of US-made premium fashion accessories directed towards male and female customers
inspired by maritime tradition. Distribution channels are online ecomm, wholesale and retail.
? Generated monthly and quarterly sales reports for both retail and wholesale. Provided analysis highlighting best
selling categories across different markets.
? Fulfillment of wholesale, ecomm retail and custom orders, physical weekly merchandise count, updated book
and online inventory on the company's website.
? Product quality check against company standards identifying damaged or defective hardware.
? Managed website content and visual design based on Sales & Marketing goals and promotional events.

Operations Intern & FT Employee

Find out detailed information about Inga Merkina,  in Miami Beach

Inga Merkina: in Miami Beach

Inga Merkina

Casper

DKNY

Prabal Gurung LLC

Sailormade LLC

Kiev Institute of International Relations

Munich Business School

Parsons School of Fashion