Afua McKinney-Cooper
(347) 243-1835
afuamckinneycooper@gmail.com
OBJECTIVE
An inventive and detailed oriented individual with knowledge of the fashion industry,
seeking a Designer position in a highly energetic and creative environment
SKILLS
• Expertise in both PC & Mac - Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Microsoft Word, and Excel.
• Garment Construction, Spec, Fabrication, and Trim Finish Knowledge
• Trained in both electronic and hand sketching
EXPERIENCE
CASTLEWOOD APPAREL
Dec 12- Current New York
Product Development Coordinator
• Created and received tech pack hand off from Design for new styles, revised current styles,specs and oversee all documentation updates and communication.
• Managed external customer and internal product databases.
• Oversaw fabric and color approvals to maintain quality control and meet client expectations.
• Created line sheets for in house labels such as Avia and Apex activewear.
• Participated in design meetings to discuss patterns and construction techniques.
• Allocated and tracked all customer photo samples.
• Costed different trims like zippers to maintain costing strategies.
• Researched market trends to keep abreast of current trends and consumer demands.
RAIDER JEAN COMPANY
May 11- Aug 11 New York
Assistant Designer (Men’s Woven & Denim Bottoms)
• Designed Men's woven bottoms & denim for private label including CAD bodies on Adobe Illustrator CS5
• Daily correspondence via e-mail with overseas vendors to ensure timely delivery of product as well as quality control
• Created line sheets and merchandising book for buyers review
• Design and prepared teck packs for new styles and revised current styles and specs
• Provided direct customer service by personally addressing clients issues and concerns.
TASSO ELBA Sportswear/ GREG NORMAN for TE dba MACY'S MERCHANDISING GROUP
July 10- Feb 11, New York
Assistant Designer -Men's Sportswear/ Golf wear (Freelance)
• Created mood boards, cad up bodies and match color standards, organized fabrics
• and trims
• Worked with sweater/ knit designers to design and prepare techpacks for new styles and revised current styles and specs
• Worked with Golf Wear Designer on knits & woven programs to design and develop seasonal collection including prepare techpacks for new styles and revised current styles and specs
• Researched market trends for seasonal directions, themes, silhouettes, and techniques
• Provided detailed comments on vendors' 1st sample proto submission and handlooms,
• Set-up of showrooms for Buyers review
KROWHILL (Mens Outerwear & Tshirt) dba ABOUT TIME BOUTIQUE
Sept 08- April 09, New York
Associate Designer / Sales Associate (Freelance)
• Merchandise current styles on floor to increase sales as well as plan for next season
• Create graphic concepts for T-shirt Program including mood boards, cads, specs based on existing line
• Design and prepare techpacks for new styles and revised current styles
• Work as a part-time sales associate to research of consumer’s demands as well as current retail market
• Review sku plan, color ways and graphic concepts with Senior Designer
GAP INC.
Aug 03- Jun 08, New York
Associate Designer (Men’s Woven Tops & Outerwear)
• Designed Men’s woven tops & outerwear including cad up bodies, and sketching
• Created & prepared techpacks using GPMT to work with vendors for product development
• Created and organized line sheets, mood boards, fabric cards, and trims
• (RED) Program: researched design concepts and worked with Senior Designer for special edition styles including color-ways, graphic placement and promotional styles.
• Designed Men's woven bottoms & denim including sketching bodies
• 1969 Denim & Outerwear Program: researched slogan, created prints, and prepared techpacks including denim wash and outerwear technical finish
• Researched market trends for seasonal directions, themes, silhouettes, fabrics, and techniques
• Attended meetings with Merchandiser to review colors, styles and sku plans, fitting with Technical Designer & Senior Designer to review sample details
EDUCATION
Parsons School of Design Aug 96 – May 01, New York & Paris
Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) Major: Fashion Design