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Professional Summary
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Fashion professional with experienced and trained eye for fit and style, known for innovative and novel ideas, A for-runner with up-cycling, re-cycling and less-waste manufacturing
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Skills
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Fashion Illustration, Pattern-making, Fashion Sketching, Flats, Mood-boards, Sewing, Fashion forecasting, extended knowledge of fibers and textiles, tailoring, product development, styling, expert of recycling, up cycling, use of remnant fabrics
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Work History:
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Monah Li Inc.
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Fashion/Apparel Designer
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Sep 1988 to Nov 1999
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Los Angeles CA
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\n - Developed innovative design strategies: high minimum abric-orders led to a novel mix of woven and knit fabrics, grain lines and garment dying
\n\t\t\t- Hired and trained contractors and dye house to implement this technique
\n\t\t\t- Sold $300.000 at first trade show with a $5000 loan, Increased orders to $900.000 at second show, with sell-throughs, rave reviews and growing orders
\n\t\t\t- Sold by directional high end retailers and department stores across the world
\n\t\t\t- Nominated for Rising Star Designer award
\n\t\t\t- Presented uniquely produced and innovative fashion shows
\n\t\t\t- Developed a little girl’s line, to sell out several times with waiting-lists
\n\t\t\t- Worked closely with PR firm and designed many red carpet dresses for A-List Clientel
\n\t\t\t- Featured in major TV-shows, music videos and films, line was written into movie scripts
\n\t\t\t- Mattel developed a Monah Li Brats-Doll
\n\t\t\t- Increased sales and visibility with a retail-store in Los Feliz
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Bebe Inc
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Head Of Design
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Nov 1999 to Mar 2002
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\n- Designed women's sportswear and developed new styles by sketching and draping
\n\t\t\t- Hired, trained and lead sample room- and admin-staff for the new design studio,
\n\t\t\t- Conducted trend-and fabric research at trade shows and local/international market places
\n\t\t\t- Created design/fabric/mood boards
\n\t\t\t- Reviewed and negotiated project goals and objectives with sales team in Brisbane
\n\t\t\t- Presented new designs at weekly trips to Brisbane to achieve sell through success
\n\t\t\t- Designed garments for celebrity clients
\n\t\t\t- Prepared technical sketches, mock-ups and embellishing layouts by hand
\n\t\t\t- Participated in all fittings and oversaw corrections and alterations
\n\t\t\t- Instrumental in Manny Mashouf’s decision to move the company To Los Angeles - increase of bebe’s stock value that led to a stock- split in 2003
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Sharagano, Spy ltd, HannahJoe, Monahmour
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Fashion/Apparel Designer.
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May 2005 to June 2007
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Los Angeles CA
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\n - Developed seasonal and brand style guides to promote Sharagano.
\n\t\t\t- Managed vendor performance to maximize profitability and financial objectives for lower prices
\n\t\t\t- Coordinated design process for multiple brands from concept sketches through final adoption.
\n\t\t\t- Achieved first orders of $30.000 for Nordstrom and several re-orders with sell-throughs
\n\t\t\t- Managed private label high volume production in China for Arden b, Rampage and Bloomingdales
\n\t\t\t- Created import and sourcing initiatives.
\n\t\t\t- Traveled to China and India to design and produce with contractors
\n\t\t\t- Accessorized all clothing for photo shoots according to brand-specific guidelines.
\n\t\t\t- Shopped the competition regularly to identify value offerings.
\n\t\t\t- Gathered information from vendors regarding market trends and competitor activity.
\n\t\t\t- Drew garments and patterns and wrote instructions for use in reproducing commercial patterns
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Monah Li Up-Cicle
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Fashion Designer
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Jan 2008 to present
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Los Angeles CA
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\n - Sourced Vintage clothing and developed cost-effective methods for recycling garments
\n\t\t\t- Created unique jewelry, combining vintage chains and costume finds with silver-clay
\n\t\t\t- Designed and manufactured one-of-a-kind garments and jewelry for clients and retail
\n\t\t\t- Marketed and sold at pop-up-stores, through social media and retailers in the US and Europe
\n\t\t\t- Managed and operated a wedding/special occasion/ retail store in emerging Echo Park
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Testament
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Apparel Designer
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Oct 2008 to March 2009
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Los Angeles CA
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\n - Developed monthly cut-and-sew merchandise assortment of jersey-and velvet burnout-fabrics to improve the brand’s depth in coordination with design-director and owner
\n\t\t\t- Sketched and draped dress-and tops silhouettes in various burnout jersey fabrics
\n\t\t\t- Coordinated with merchandiser to maximize financial goals
\n\t\t\t- Conducted fittings and coordinated with sample room to implement a perfect fit
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Bebe Inc
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Consultant
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Feb 2011 to April 2011
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Century City CA
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\n - Designed 32 styles across all categories from left-over fabrics
\n\t\t\t- Energized and re-vamped the brand with original designs
\n\t\t\t- Attracted a costumer who usually shops at Anthropology, Barneys. Fred Segal….
\n\t\t\t- Saved hundreds of yards of fabric from ending up in landfills/taking up storage space
\n\t\t\t- Elevated the brands image with chic and fashionable designs made mostly from remnant fabrics
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Substance Apparel
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Designer/Pattern-maker
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June 2015 to Jan 2017
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Los Angeles, CA
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\n - Designed cut-and-sew dresses, unisex tops and hoodies from hemp/rayon jersey-knit
\n\t\t\t- Succeeded in creating fashionable garments that were pre ordered by directional retailers, like Colette and Layers
\n\t\t\t- Created first patterns, cut and sewed first samples
\n\t\t\t- Scripted and co-directed a Kickstarter campaign and implemented social network strategies to raise visibility and attention for hemp-products
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Betabrand
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Fashion Designer
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Jan 2017 to present
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San Francisco CA
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\n - Created timeless dress designs for a clientele looking for practical garments
\n\t\t\t- Submitted sketches and pictures of samples to be voted for by costumers directly
\n\t\t\t- Prepared flats , a first pattern and sewing instructions for production
\n\t\t\t- Achieved 100% of orders to qualify for production in less then one hour
\n\t\t\t- Consulted with in-house production team on proper fabric, fit and look
\n\t\t\t- sold 1300 dresses of one design for first delivery, reordered for two more production runs
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CLAD (Coalition of Los Angeles Designers )
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Founder/President
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Sep 1998 to 2010
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Los Angeles CA
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\n - Founded a non-profit organization to help launch Los Angeles as a fashion metropolis. Together with Alicia Lawhon and Cynthia St. Vincent, we organized fashion-shows and sample sales and raised money for garment related causes. CLAD received attention from fashion magazines previously reserved for New York designers only and started to solve our common problems as independent designers,
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Education:
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Certificate: Photoshop and Illustrator: Fashion business Incubator , Los Angeles
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Associate of Arts: Fashion Design: FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. Los Angeles
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High school/College Degree: Higher Technical Education Institute and College for the Textile Industry, Vienna, Austria
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Certificate: Human Services , LACC, Los Angeles
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