Sunil Kumar

Chief Manager Design/Product Development/Fashion Designer

Bangalore, India
Experienced design professional with over 13 years of expertise in the retail apparel industry, combining design and managerial skills. Proficient in design thinking & product development, consistently delivering results in dynamic and fast-paced environments. A determined problem solver, effective manager, and committed team player.

Work Experience

Reliance Retail Ltd

Chief Manager Design (Product Development/Fashion Designer)

Leading a team of 3 professionals for the sustainable brand ProEarth, driving growth in both the Menswear and Womenswear categories while upholding sustainability principles.

Successfully revamped the entire men's and women's range for Proearth, aligning with the brand's handwriting and meeting the milestone of the new store launch (AZORTE).

Achieved strong performance: ROS/Day: 27 pcs, SPD/Day: Rs 23K during 10-day launch, optimizing segment mix (61% Men, 39% Women),

Collaborated with cross-functional teams to identify the key drivers of category sales & performed analysis to implement changes that enhance the customer experience and drive category growth.

Consistently followed buying and sourcing guidelines, ensuring compliance with range architecture (RA) and making precise final selections.
March 2022 - Present Bangalore, India

Future Group

Design Manager (Product development/Fashion Designer)

Developed styles based on market trends and Past Season analysis - Undertook in depth discussion to identify gaps.

Introduced Active studio range – emphasizing modernized silhouettes in poly blend fabrics especially designed for activities like Zumba, Pilates, Yoga.

Supported in managing multiple seasons at different stages of development, while understanding the development calendar and ensuring teams are adhering to the T&A.

Worked closely with Marketing and VM teams to highlight key product features which in turn became the product's USP.

Achieved 180% growth of Champion ladies in AW19. Achieved 80-85% range selection for SS20
April 2019 - February 2022 Mumbai, India

Louzan Group

Senior Fashion Designer

Developed luxury dresses and gowns by introducing unique concepts, flattering silhouettes and cuts and undertaking material exploration through sample developments.

Conducted weekly market surveys to understand the silhouettes, techniques, colors and embellishments of the season.

Designed high-end wedding Abayas taking inspiration from the season’s forecasts and trends.

Undertook a target customer segment study to understand the tastes and wants of the target customer and in turn created exclusive designs that sold over 150 pieces across UAE.

Designed promotional leather packaging for the launch of their new line of fragrances.

Emphasised on blending traditional and western embroideries through motif and material explorations as a part of the design development process.
November 2017 - February 2019 United Arab Emirates

Future Retail Limited

Deputy Manager Design

Designed and developed samples for Athleisure Sportswear for brands - Champion Women, Umbro Women, Spunk Women.

Boosted sell-through of Spunk Women from 57% for AW’17 to 83%, for SS’18 .

Successfully introduced a new range of ‘Core crop tops and polos’ at an MRP of Rs 599.

Introduced Active range - emphasizing modernized silhouettes in poly blend fabrics and trims, Core Range - more than 70, 000 pieces sold per style, per month pan India.

Visually conceptualized seasonal collection display ideas as per theme.
Established and enhanced relationships with international vendors from China for trims and fabrics.
September 2014 - November 2017 India

Chemistry,Esjay International Pvt Ltd

Designer, Product Development

Developed state of the art graphics and AOP's for apparel categories (gowns, dresses, tops).

Incorporated free hand sketches and doodles into graphics - successfully increased sell through by 35%.

Designed promotional catalogs and weekly mailers for each season
Built strong cross-functional relationship with Buyers, production & technical teams and vendors.

Created unique branding elements for CHM and MISS using tags and trims, enhancing brand visibility.
January 2013 - August 2014 Mumbai, India

Falguni & Shane Peacock

Asst. Fashion Designer

Handled various categories - Cutout & Edgy dresses, Bodysuits, Jewelled gowns, Opulent outfits, Incorporated graphic, print and embroidery fusions for gowns and lehengas.

Assisted in design development - emphasized on blending traditional and contemporary embroideries through motif and material explorations.

Designed outfits for Katy Perry, Rihanna, Jenifer Lopez and organised celebrity outfit trials for Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra and Sonakshi Sinha for SS 16 and AW 16 fashion shows.
April 2011 - January 2013 Mumbai, India

Education

National Institute Of Fashion Technology

B.F.Tech in Design (Fashion Design)

Bachelor's degree, B.F.Tech (Design), Fashion Design
at National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai, India
India - Mumbai
Grade: 8.12
April 2007 - May 2011 Mumbai, India

J.J.College-Jharkhand Academic Council(JAC)

10+2

High school or equivalent
J.J.College-Jharkhand Academic Council(JAC)
70%
March 2004 - March 2006 India

Saint Joseph's University

School

High School
76.6%
February 1994 - February 2004 Ranchi, India

Languages

English (Advanced),
Hindi (Native),
Marathi (Conversational),

Awards

'Most Creative Collection Award' in final semester of 2011

2011

Skills

A Competitive Spirit, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe In Design, Adobe Photoshop, And Quality, Color, Communication, Corel Draw, Detail, Fabric, Fashion Design, Flexibility And Time, Good Eye For, Graphics Design, Management, Management), Merchandising, MS Excel, Ned Graphics, PLM (Product Life-cycle, Product Development, Strong Drawing Skills, Strong Visualization Skills, Understanding Of Texture,

Other Experiences

Have conducted sessions and been a part of the jury for design students at NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology), Mumbai and SMU (Sikkim Manipal University) for subjects such as Draping, Surface ornamentation, Illustration and Portfolio development.