Heather Franco
Consulting Design Director & Fashion Brand Development Specialist
Corona Del Mar | United States
Skills
No information
Interests
Dance
Yoga
Fitness
Outdoor life
In my own words
— HeatherI am an entrepreneurial minded Design Director who has an established track record of building and launching fashion brands for exacting clients.
With a sweet spot for seeing the bigger picture, an eye for details others miss and 18+ years of experience across a wide range of products from mass to high-end, I know exactly how to take an idea or product from scratch to fully up and running while creating a foundation that enables repeatable future success.
My approach to design includes taking a holistic brand perspective - identifying market position, nailing product details and fit, and designing a cohesive strategy around production and costing. I am highly empathetic with people and process and efficient with my time because I have done every job in the product development pipeline.
After years spent as a dancer and a gratifying side hustle as a personal trainer, I am extremely passionate about fit, creating garments that are body inclusive and make a person feel their absolute best. My other passion is sustainability, which I have focused on extensively within my own fashion brand.
Areas of Expertise: Fashion & technical design, building and leading creative teams, trend/color/concept, sustainability, market research & analysis, fit & grading, sourcing, costing/budget, production, hardware development, planning & project management, back end integration for e-commerce specializing in Shopify, vendor sourcing & onboarding, PLM, ERP compliance, photoshoot production, styling, and graphic design.
Trajectory
Apr 2017 — Now
Consulting Design Director & Fashion Brand Development Specialist · Select clients - Quicksilver Women's Swim, BTB Los Angeles RTW, LDMA, Swiminista, Sunwren, Anderson, Minnow.
Actively leverage extensive fashion industry expertise and relationships to execute numerous brand and product launches end-to-end; including initial ideation stages, market research and positioning, calendar, branding, design, sourcing, vendor onboarding, grading, fit, sampling, production, budget, operations, compliance, fulfillment and e-commerce
Shape and cultivate brands through thoughtful design and art direction, establishing a clear brand voice/handwriting, elevated aesthetic, and cohesive storytelling across all product, media and sales channels
Actively collaborate with founders and their teams to bring their brands to life by connecting them to the highest quality resources, establishing season and product lifecycle, hiring/training staff and streamlining both process and production
Expertise in back end integration for e-commerce specializing in Shopify, ERP and fulfillment
Entrepreneurial minded creative who is able to work independently on multiple projects simultaneously, under tight time constraints, in a virtual environment.
Art direction for photoshoots including mood, styling, prep, model selection and editing for seasonal product stories and ongoing, multi-season campaigns
Sep 2019 — Oct 2022
Founder and Design Director · LVHR
Founder and Owner of LVHR
High touch on all aspects of the brand including design, sourcing and production
Elevated lounge, swim, ready-to-wear resort and lingerie essentials
Small batch wardrobe staples made in Los Angeles partnering with only ethical factories and dye houses.
All brand decisions are made with a dedication to sustainability through
thoughtful material choices (fabric, packaging, etc)
Designed to minimize waste
Available at Revolve, Olivela, Verishop, select boutiques and direct to consumer
Nov 2013 — May 2019
Director of Apparel · Naked Princess Worldwide ( Le Marche by NP)
Managed Apparel and Production Departments (14 direct reports and 6 interns per year) and supervised Operations, Sales and Budget
First Design Director hired to take all product, existing and new, through to production
Responsible for both establishing and staffing the entire Apparel Department
Positioned the brand for the Contemporary Designer Women's and Kid's Market - specializing in RTW inspired Loungewear, Sleepwear, Lingerie, Wovens, Knits, Sweaters and Swim.
Pitched the collection at prestigious international and domestic trade shows - Salon International de la Lingerie, Curve, and Active Collective.
Lead the team through concept, color, design, grading, sampling, fit, costing, sourcing and production including the development of custom prints and trims
Established brand vendor matrix (including mills/factories from South America, Asia, and NYC), sourcing and purchase order process
Point person for showrooms, sales team, internal personnel, mills, factories and vendors on a day to day basis
Designed, merchandised and styled the collection for seasonal look books, line sheets and photoshoots.
May 2017 — Feb 2018
Senior Designer - Intimates · BirdieBee
Launched the Intimates Division for the inclusive lifestyle brand, Birdiebee, founded by The Bellas - Nikki & Brie
Designed the initial collections that drove $3 Million in revenue in the 1st year through D2C channels
Involved in every detail of the process - market research and positioning, trend/color, design, sourcing, sampling, fit, production, operations, marketing and budget
Established fit standards across entire brand (including SKUs outside of initial project scope) as well as lead fittings with pattern maker and fit model
Managed and produced all first development samples and SMS with curated freelance team
Produced tech packs including technical flat sketches, spec measurements, grades and construction details
Jun 2011 — Apr 2013
Senior Designer · CIVERNÉ
Launched CIVERNÉ, a high end women’s ready to wear line designed for the luxury designer Asian market
Shown at Shanghai Fashion Week
Involved in every detail of design and development from start to finish for each season including construction, fit, sourcing and vendor relations
Synthesized trend, color and market research into brand right and actionable aesthetic direction
Managed the brand’s look book and all photoshoots for the launch
Set up and fully integrated all e-commerce channels
Consulted on corporate identity, merchandising, branding and packaging
Traveled regularly for production, samples and sourcing
Apr 2003 — Dec 2012
Senior Design Consultant - Fashion & Textile · Senior Design Consultant - Fashion & Textile
Select clients: Gap, Levis, Old Navy (Ready To Wear & Girls), Kohl’s, Gymboree, Choreo Active, Pacha Spain & Biatta
Jan 2010 — Mar 2011
Senior Designer · Chaiken & Capone
Executed a highly successful full brand revamp and relaunch positioned for the contemporary ready-to-wear market
Collection was sold at Barney’s, Neiman Marcus, various high end boutiques and D2C
Pitched the collection along with the company owner to buyers at Barney’s and other well-known luxury retailers
Managed vendor relations and production both domestic and international (Asia, Peru, Uruguay) including all sourcing of fabrics, leather, trims and specialty services
Researched and translated global seasonal trends in apparel, color, styling, techniques, and materials to insure brand relevancy across target demographic
Responsible for the design of all SKUs - tech packs, spec measurements, construction, print selection and creation, collaboration with the pattern maker, fit sessions and full production lifecycle
Designed corporate identity, brand collateral, packaging and specialty marketing materials used at charity events for both Anonymity and Chaiken & Capone
Coordinated all social media channels and planned a range of high end luxury events to promote the brand
Sep 2006 — Jan 2008
Senior Designer · SimplyShe Inc.
1st designer hired on what would eventually become a 5 person team driving company growth from $1M to $20M in revenue in the 1st year
Managed all freelance designers (including interviewing, hiring and onboarding)
Spearheaded trend, market and product research while managing multiple projects under tight deadlines
Designed dog and cat lifestyle products and accessories as well as children's apparel
Developed all original body styles, patterns and products giving the brand a truly unique position in the crowded pet market
Created corporate identity, boutique branding, company collateral, packaging and sales presentations for clients such as Walmart, Petco and Sam’s Club.
Maintained direct communication with merchants and vendors for trends, concepts and product development
Activity
Education history
FIDM
san francisco | 2001 - 2004
