M O R G A N B R O W N
Experience
Gymboree, San Francisco, CA
Technical Designer
Ownership over Baby Boy and both genders in Brand New Baby category for Gymboree. Leads bi-weekly fittings with cross-functional departments and submits fit comment package to offshore vendors.
Creation of costing spec packages for new products
Development of new block patterns for Gymboree Brand
Team player in the rebranding of Gymboree resulting in a Fall season with no carry over styles and a doubled workload.
Regular use of Optitex to check pattern and grade nest.
Daily communication with vendors and cross-functional team members to maintain quality, safety and fit standards.
Dwnstrs Brand, Oakland, CA
Founder; Lead Tech Designer and Product Developer
First through production pattern makers for all new styles, including all grading and marker creation.
Oversaw production at San Francisco manufacturing facility
Sewing and managing fit samples. Lead all fittings and execute changes.
Technical Package creation and maintenance, including technical sketches.
Betabrand, San Francisco, CA
Pattern Making Technician / Technical Designer
Patternmaking and Marker Design using PAD software system for mens and womens top, bottoms and outerwear categories
Evaluation of fit on all samples, performs appropriate pattern corrections and design changes.
Actively work with Design Department in all stages of product development; consulting in technical design and fabric selection
Assess production and marketing release timeline for delivery dates and prioritize the sewing queue for in-house sample makers
Creating specification packages for knits, wovens and fully fashioned knits using Excel and Illustrator for Production Manager
Review of construction, pre production and top of production samples from outside contractors for quality assurance
Attend weekly Production Meeting and Design Handoff meetings to assure deadlines are met and costs are kept down with Production, Design and Merchandising departments
Quality Assurance Field Technician
Developed Betabrands Quality Assurance Standard Manual that is currently in use in both domestic and offshore facilities
Visited domestic factories on daily basis to resolve any issues and monitor all production progress. Provide feedback and progress to production manager.
Attended weekly production timeline meeting to assure all deadlines were met
Performed audits of size runs, pre production samples and top of production samples and worked with Technical Design Department in creating procedure for documentation and record keeping
Performed quality assurance checks on all Dress Pant Yoga pants coming in from offshore contractors -- Betabrand’s top selling product. Worked with Production Manager to correct construction issues and brought return rate down significantly.
The Tripty Project, Oakland, CA :: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Co-Founder // Director of Product Development and Production
Lead designer and patternmaker for mens and womens Spring / Summer 2016 collection
Managed sampling of 20 styles in Bangladesh factory over 6 day period
Worked to create quality standards for all products produced with Bangladeshi contractors
Completed on the ground technical training and quality standards training at the factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Freelance Patternmaker
Patternmaker and Technical Designer for Field Day Spring ‘18 and Fall ‘18 line.
Costume design for Isis Hockenos’s immersive dinner piece Night Fishing at the Midway Gallery San Francisco
Patternmaker and Technical Design for DressTech and Sculptress; creating undergarments garments to hold silicone shapewear for cross-dressing, trans woman and bridal markets.
Patternmaker and technical design for Newd Elements, a sustainable small goods brand
Design and Material Sourcing consultant and Patternmaker for a developing menswear brand out of the Stanford D School
Technical Designer for Vida and Co a Google Venture backed start-up in San Francisco, specializing in crowd-funded apparel.
Created retail packaging for Jacob-May Designs, including fabric ordering, pattern making and construction
Alterations for customers at Standard and Strange, Oakland, CA
Costumed a three woman performance piece for the Foundry Nights, Berkeley, CA
Costume Designer for Sarah Rabdau and the Self Employed Assassins
Joshu + Vela, San Francisco, CA
Production Manager
Technical Designer for new styles and products
Manage daily workflow of in-house tailors, leatherworkers , interns and occasional outside vendors such as silk screeners and cutters.
Write Purchase Orders for all COGS and track delivery and storage locations
Update items in Quickbooks to reflect recent changes in design, material usage and labor
Enter all finished goods into inventory through Quickbooks and Shopify platform
Assist production team when needed in leatherwork, cutting and finishing
Armour sans Anguish, Oakland, CA
Production and Design Assistant
Lead patternmaker and sample sewer for two styles in Spring/Summer 2014 ready-to-wear line
Lead designer in bringing custom flower girl dress line from concept into full, regular production
Created and implemented production systems at in-house manufacturing facility, leading to new styles, improved finishing techniques and fewer returned garments
Cedar Cycling, Oakland, CA
Production Manager
Oversaw two production runs of mens cycling bike jerseys in San Leandro manufacturing facility
Consulted lead patternmaker in fit and style changes during development of womens jersey
Contacted international and domestic fabric reps in order to obtain swatches and arrange meetings
Updated tech packs, inventory lists and measured samples to spec
Leadership Roles
Key participant in a multi-disciplinary artist warehouse in East Oakland, Standard Parts Studios January 2017 - Present
Project lead in construction, painting and spacial design projects, marketed the space for full time tenants and daily film contracts.
Designed, outfitted and currently runs a cooperative sewing and textiles studio within the warehouse.
Instructed a DIY Fashion class for teen interns at the Children’s Creativity Museum: San Francisco, CA 2013
Created project samples, idea boards and assisted teens in project completion
Designed and facilitated a Fiber Arts program for teens at Farm and Wilderness: Vernon, VT 2009
Instructed a farm to fiber curriculum that included washing, carding and felting wool
Crew Leader for the Northwest Youth Corps: Pacific Northwest, 2008
Oversaw ten person crew of teens during contracted trail maintenance jobs 36 hours/week
Taught environmental education during evenings at camp, enabling teens to obtain school credit
Additional Training
Natural Dying: Created dyes from various plants and mordants: Richmond Arts Center, California 2015
Garment Industry 411: Fabric Sourcing & Inspection, Product Development & Costing, Documentation,
Manufacturing Calendar, Domestic vs. Offshore Production and Quality Assurance taught by Lana Hogue San
Francisco, CA 2013
Trama Textiles: Fabrication and weaving on a backstrap loom: Quetzaltenango, Guatemala 2008
Amherst Fiber Arts Center: Sculptural Knitting and Weaving on a Four Harness Loom Amherst, MA 2007
Cobbling Workshop: Created custom leather shoes with rubber soles: Amherst, MA, 2007
Awards and Recognition
Awarded second place in repurposing clothing design competition
Recipient of Dean’s Scholarship at Hampshire College 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009
Received “Distinguished” Review on 2-D Portfolio at NYSATA.
Art Shows
2010: Division III Group Show at Hampshire College Gallery Amherst, MA
2010: “Alterations” Senior Thesis Show at Hampshire College Gallery Amherst, MA
2005, 2004, 2003: Student Art Show at Ossining Public Library Ossining, NY
2004: “Tomorrows Artists” at Westchester Community College: Vahalla, NY
2004: “Arts in Action” fund-raiser for Cancer Patients. Sold two pieces.
2004: Annual Photography Show sponsored by Croton Council for the Arts
Publications:
2005 Photography and Pen and Ink published in Interval Magazine
2004 Photography and Poetry published in Interval Magazine
2003 Photography and Poetry published in Interval Magazine
Additional Skills
Sewing: Highly proficient seamstress on both single needle and overlock machine
Computer Proficiency: PAD Systems, Quickbooks, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Social Networking, Google , Photoshop and Illustrator
Language: Conversational Spanish
Education
Apparel Arts, San Francisco, CA
Completed courses in: Pattern Making, Fashion Illustration, Draping, Construction, Textiles, Apparel Production, Apparel Manufacturing, Design Principles and Tailoring
Hampshire College Amherst, MA
Bachelors of Arts with a concentration in Fiber Arts and Spanish; culminating in a sculptural thesis show