How I have built my teams

My leadership style emphasizes organization, adaptability, and results. I have excelled at identifying each of my team member’s strengths and aligning them with project goals to maximize efficiency and creativity, especially under tight deadlines or limited resources. When my studio took on our first apparel project for Portland Trading Co., I was able to quickly orchestrate my team into positions where their expertise would show through in the collection and filled the gaps in our skillset by bringing on new talent to aid in production.

This results-driven approach has been refined over years of hands-on experience in both strategic and creative capacities. I bring a unique ability to step back and interpret the broader aesthetic and cultural vision of a brand, ensuring every element, from logo design to material selection, aligns cohesively. For the re-built tent collection my studio created for Hilton’s Tent City, I spearheaded my team’s effort to build a series of products that would fit natively into the brand’s repertoire. Through spending time with both the directors and their clientele, I was able to garner a deep sense of their brand identity and reinterpret their story into the pieces we designed. By leveraging data-driven insights and cultural trend analysis, I’ve successfully guided countless projects toward success. For more than a decade the studios I have run have earned a reputation for our authentic, forward-thinking solutions.

Personal practice

My work is informed by a global perspective and a deep reverence for materiality. Traveling the world has broadened my creative sensibilities by exposing me to a wide spread of cultures, trends, and design traditions that continually shape my practice. My passion for working with cutting-edge technologies and advanced fabrication methods stems from the same drive to go out in search of inspiration. The discipline for sketching and iterating I rely on has been strengthened through frequently immersing myself in material labs and supply networks to engage directly with emerging industry developments. During the years I lived in Manhattan I frequented the veritable trove of fabrics found in New York’s Garment District as well as the textile library at Material Connexion.

The inquisitive nature of my process has led me to pioneer now broadly used techniques such as the method for burn-free laser-cutting for leather suede, as well as the utilization of plastic roofing filigree as a backpack ventilation (a process that was grifted from me after I went public with it). In addition thanks to the connections I fostered in the bag-making industry, I got to experiment with Fidlock magnetic hardware well before its widespread adoption. The earliest projects I incorporated this burgeoning technology into were a series of adaptive backpack straps made from cowhide suede which could link to become a single shoulder sling, changing the orientation of the bag altogether.

At its core, my approach to design is both analytical and poetic, an ongoing pursuit of elegant, unexpected solutions that bridge artistry, utility, and the evolving language of modern craftsmanship.

My background in visual direction, curation, and quality control

With over a decade of experience leading creative teams and studios, I have presided over four distinct design operations, managing teams of 5–10 individuals to deliver projects of varying scales and complexity. My background spans both material and softgoods consulting as well as running fully independent studios producing industry-leading products. As a visual and creative director, I have collaborated extensively with designers, pattern drafters, sales and marketing teams, graphic artists, web and social media experts, material suppliers, producers, and retailers all the while building a holistic understanding of what drives a brand’s success from concept to execution. I assumed this role from the very start of my first studio in 2016 when we were contracted by BoConcept to develop an exclusive collection of bags and accessories that made use of their discontinued textiles.

Accolades

• The shaving kits I designed were Featured in GQ’s holiday publication in 2021

• Feature for Victory Project’s Studio in The Arlington Advocate in 2018

• Full-tuition scholarship awarded by The Cooper Union in 2014

• Best in Show for my industrial design exhibition at the MeCa thesis shows 2013

• Gold Key awarded by Scholastic Art & Writing for my portfolio in 2012