AR Angelica Rubino
“She leaves a little sparkle wherever she goes.” -Kate Spade
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Table of Contents • Personal Statement…………………………………………………...4 • Resume…………………………………………………………….....5 • Retail Buying for Nordstrom Girl’s Department……………………..6 • Conceptualizing and Merchandising for a Ready-to-Wear Boutique..10 • Envision Chic: Development of a Brand for a Void in the Market…..14 • Volunteer Experience at An Upscale Resale Shop…………………...18 • Contact Information………………………………………………….21
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An Adoration of The World of Fashion From a young age, I have always adored the world of and what it has to offer: connection, expression, fashion and innovation. The world of fashion connects each individual through style. The world of fashion allows each individual to express their passion for fashion, personally and professionally. The world of fashion is a representation innovation through design and technology. My love for of the industry, business, and product development has grown throughout my four years at Dominican University. Through extensive courses and first-hand experience within a retail and corporate environment, I have had the opportunity to explore the world of fashion through: buying, visual merchandising, fashion show production, social media, marketing, and management. Specifically, opportunities within the retail industry have ranged my from in-store retail experience at Target, interning as a sale representative for Stylemax, dressing fashions shows for ZZAZZ Productions, creating and implementing a social media strategic plan for Sassy’s Originals Boutique, and as a Buyer Apprentice at Sears Holdings interning Corporation. As a young professional, I am determined to learn all aspects related to the retail industry. I am not afraid to ask questions, take initiative, and put in the extra effort. Throughout my buying internship at Sears Holdings Corporation, I took the opportunity to ask buyers, vendors, and senior questions in regards to tasks, projects, and the position. My passion, energy, and management curiosity for the industry derive from my interest and excitement of learning new concepts, researching trends, and conducting financial and competitor analyses. My adoration of the world of fashion has broadened from apparel to home to outdoor living and even appliances! My strong communication, organizational, and time management skills enable me to be a team-player in to produce high-caliber work, while also collaborating in order to discover new ideas. I also order contribute positivity and open-mindedness when faced with challenges. No matter the field, department, or position; challenges can always occur but by working as a team, determining the problem, and reacting efficiently and effectively, the challenge can be overcome. I am grateful for my opportunities, experiences, and mentors thus far, while also excited for the new journey ahead! adoration, passion, and energy for this industry is a one-of-a-kind; a guiding light that My continues to drive me personally and professionally allowing me to leave a little sparkle wherever I go. AR
SUMMARY EDUCATION ACTIVITIES EXPERIENCE COMPUTER SKILLS
Angelica Rubino angelicarubino8@gmail.com
Determined and motivated professional with an Apparel Merchandising and Business Administration degree. Passionate about fashion, the retail industry, and life. Experienced in merchandising in a retail and corporate environment. Strong communication, organizational, efficiency, time management, analytic, product development, and teamwork skills. Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois Bachelor of Arts, Major: Apparel Merchandising, Graduation: May 2015 Minor: Business Administration, GPA: 3.95/4.0 Dean’s List: 2011-Present University Honor Scholarship: 2011-Present Dominican University Fashion Show: IllumiNATION December 2014-Present Fashion Show Co-Director • Oversee all committees, ensure tasks are completed in a timely and efficient manner, management of budget, calculation of final budget, and execution of overall show and theme Dominican University Fashion Club 2012-Present Vice President • Coordinate fundraiser events for the apparel department Dominican University Apparel Study Trip: Manhattan, NY May 2013 • Experienced tours of various segments of the Fashion Industry: Sales, Buying, Wholesale, Manufacturing, Production, and Visual Merchandising Sears Holdings Corporation, Hoffman Estates, IL August 2014-Present Buying Associate-Seasonal/Outdoor Living Business Unit • Develop in-store marketing and signage • Analyze, pull, and update financial reports including: Sales, Margin, Inventory, Sell Thru, along with other metrics • Conduct extensive analysis projects: Competitive Analysis, Brand Analysis, Sales Analysis, Product Analysis, etc. • Interact and collaborate with vendors for extensive analysis projects • Review and verify product pricing for stores Sears Holdings Corporation, Hoffman Estates, IL May 2014-July 2014 Buyer Apprentice Intern-Patio/Outdoor Living • Conducted a Patio Brand Analysis: Analysis of Kmart and Sears Brands, Competitive Analysis, Financial Analysis, Multichannel Analysis, and Recommendations • Analyzed and pulled financial reports including: Sales, Margin, Inventory, Sell Thru, along with other metrics • Developed knowledge of buy plans, product development, vendor negotiations SuperTarget, Glendale Heights, IL Softlines, Presentation, Fitting Room/Operator • Ability to motivate and collaborate with other team members to succeed • Acquired knowledge of merchandising, sales, and leadership • Arranged Floor sets (adjacencies and planograms)
June 2009-August 2014
ZZAZZ Productions, Oak Brook, IL September 2011-May 2014 Dresser • Acquired knowledge of production development: Model Line-ups, Music Correlation, Set-up and return of merchandise to retailers Visual Retailing 4, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Peachtree, Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Access), Excel: V-lookups, Sum-ifs, Pivot Tables, Formulas, and Formatting
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Retail Buying for Nordstrom Girl’s Department The world of buying encompasses the analysis of trends, trade reports, financials, competitors, customers, and merchandise. It is a world of analytics that strives to provide customers with their every want and need. Spring 2015 Key Department Trends of Spring 2015 Trends is essential to offer customers trends within their current stage Determination of the product life cycle. Market research such as trend reports from WGSN provide insight on the season’s hottest trends, materials, and details. Further research of each specific trend allows for examples of sketches and different styles to be presented depending on trend, price point, materials, and quality. AR
Six-Month Plan With an analysis of the previous year’s buy plans, a buyer is able to project planned sales for the upcoming season, margin, inventory, and sell-thru. The buyer is able to determine what merchandise or trends were successful, while also identify what items were not.
The Important of a Six-Month Plan: • Provides a buyer knowledge of last year’s sales compared to the plan for this year including planned sales and percentage increase. • Provides a buyer with an idea of what percentage of sales will be from markdowns (reductions) in terms of percentage and dollar amount. • Reminds a buyer of the initial markup of each item, which determines what the cost and retail selling price of items should be in order to make a certain margin. • Provides a buyer of an estimate of what each month’s sales will be in percentage and dollar amount based on knowledge of the business, department, and season. • A six-month plan can help a buyer determine each month’s sell-thru, a plan of what sales should be for each month, sales compared to gross margin for each month, and markdowns for the season.
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Sales by Classification Knowledge of product, vendors, estimated budget, and actual budget allow for a buyer to determine what products should be placed in what store. Buyers take into account sales by classification in order to determine inventory, cost, markup, and retail price of an item. Vendor Cost Sheet Vendor Name: Roxette (Budgeted) Acutal: Ship Date: 1/15/15 Total Cost $ 22,653.00 $ 22,324.42 Total Retail $ 63,100.28 $ 62,185.00 Total Units 1130 Mark-up 64.1% AR
Product Development Tucker & Tate
Style: ‘Matilda’ Tunic Tank Color: Aqua Sky Smile Silhouette: Tunic Fabrication: 60% Cotton, 40% Polyester Cost: $7.90 Retail: $22.00 The Nordstrom Girl’s Department customer would love to purchase a cute, fun, and comfortable top. The top is not extremely expensive and reaches to all three types of my customers. The top is girly, colorful (but not too bright) and would be accepted by the community. Fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated to a children’s charity called KABOOM! This charity builds playgrounds that are completely safe and handicapped-accessible across America that allow every child the chance to play on the playground with other children.
Retail buying encompasses excel, analytics, financials, inventory, and relations with vendors, but it also encompasses knowledge of product development. Brands, designs, manufacturing, and sourcing are all involved in producing and the success of merchandise. Creating a brand or a product that is connected to social responsibility is a fun and innovative way to give back to the community by offering customers a “feel good” item, while the company donates the majority of the proceeds to a specific charity or community.
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Conceptualizing and Merchandising a Ready-to-Wear Boutique R&R, a women’s ready-to-wear boutique, focuses on business-casual attire for the working, coming of age, woman. R&R caters to women in their 20’s to 40’s with the main cliental market ranging from 25-35 years of age. R&R is created by Kathryn Riegel and Angelica Rubino. R&R’s store concept, brand identity, interior and exterior layout, lighting, and selection of merchandise are brought to life through visual merchandising.
How to conceptualize and merchandise a boutique? • • • • •
Determination of boutique mission, brand concept, and image Determination of merchandise assortment Representation of brand through interior ambience Particular placement of merchandise by utilizing planograms Cohesive look and design of the store from the physical representation such as the use of fixtures
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Interior Ambience Lighting Wall Color Music Scent The brand concept and image of a store begins with the merchandise assortment but also extends to the interior ambience. Through music, scent, wall color, and lighting, an identity of a can be brought to life. Each element of the interior ambience should be cohesive and store represent the overall brand image. A customer should be able to walk into a store and in a moment realize the type of merchandise assortment, price-point, and overall style. Just as merchandise is selected for a specific market segmentation, the visual representation should connect and relate back to the same market segmentation as well. AR
Planogram and Floor Layout
R&R Boutique’s floor plan encompasses the brand’s overall concept of sophistication through fixtures, lighting, and overall placement of merchandise. New merchandise will be displayed at the front of the store capturing the attention of the classic, vintage, and contemporary customer looking for affordable merchandise that can be worn to work, but also on a night-out with friends. Visual Retailing 4 is a visual merchandising software, which can be used to create planograms and in-store layouts.
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Fixtures
Selection of fixtures for a boutique, once again relates back to the overall brand concept and identity. All fixtures should be cohesive and flow with the interior theme of the boutique. When determining appropriate fixtures for a boutique, the style and type of merchandise should always decide how the products will be merchandised in the store. Most importantly, fixtures should be practical. If merchandise will be hanging or displayed on a fixture, the fixture needs to be able to attract a customer’s attention to the merchandise as the fixture should not be the focal point, but rather enhance the overall visual merchandising of the store.
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Envision Chic
Development of a Brand for a Void in the Market Envision Chic is an outdoor accessories brand developed to bring embellished accessories to the outdoor market. Envision Chic is dedicated to its homeowners in providing the newest trends and styles in an elegant and sophisticated manner. From inspiration, product sketches, identification of potential manufacturers, determination of the core customer, and product placement, Envision Chic is a representation of developing a brand for a void in the market.
Inspiration
Product Sketches
Pillows
Throws
Rugs
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Identification of Potential Manufacturers
The identification of potential manufacturers can range from domestic to international depending on the skills, cost, materials, and quality desired. Finding the correct manufacturer to supply the brand’s products can determine the success of the overall brand. When researching manufacturers, the brand needs to determine if more than one manufacturer is needed, along with knowing and understanding what each manufacturers strengths and weaknesses are. For Envision Chic, a range of domestic and international manufacturers were needed in order to produce the various categories of merchandise: pillows, throws, and rugs. The manufacturer Surya specializes in rugs while Jordan Manufacturing is known for their pillows and cushions, United Manufacturing is known for specialty pillows, and Alibaba is used for purchasing embellished solution dyed acrylic fabric. The manufacturer should exhibit a similar brand identity and concept to the brand to ensure an appropriate relationship between both parties. The brand needs to determine what the markup and selling prices of the merchandise will be in order to negotiate cost. The brand should identify any minimums that a manufacturer requires and always request a sample.
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Determination of the Core Customer: Market Segmentation and Mood Board Determination of the core customer is essential when developing a new brand. In order to fill a void within the market and for a brand to be successful, the core customer needs to be researched and identified by utilizing market segment research sites such as PRIZM and Census Data. The knowledge of geographic, demographic, sociocultural, and behavioral segmentation can help determine if the design, price point, and overall idea is marketed and sold in the correct location, ensuring the concept, customer will be intrigued and motivated to purchase the product. Research and determination of the core customer provides the brand with insight of the customers income, lifestyle, and interests. A mood board can then be created in order to visually represent the core customer of the brand illustrating the overall lifestyle of the customer through images. AR
Product Placement UPDATE Interiors Three Key Aspects to Product Placement: • Location • Culture/ Environment • Brand Philosophy
“UPDATE brings what's up to the minute in home décor, furnishings and lighting to our customers. We offer free in-store consultations as well as off-site visits for a nominal fee–our goal being to tailor our clients' shopping experience to best suit their individual needs. We specialize in unique gifts for any occasion–birthdays, weddings, showers, house-warming, etc.– and offer beautifully executed, complimentary gift wrap.” Whether a new brand is developed by the retailer itself or the brand is looking to be sold within a retailer, proper product placement is crucial in order for the brand to be successful and to connect with the customer. Update and Envision Chic have similar brand philosophies. The brand and boutique both focus on helping their customers “update” and bring “outdoor accessories embellished in elegance” to any outdoor living space by turning something old into something new or merely making a space unique and a true vision! Focused on bringing the latest trends to customers’ homes in order to make their home their own look and unique to them!
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Volunteer Experience at An Upscale Resale Shop Volunteer experience within the community is an essential aspect of understanding the fashion industry and business. From sorting donated items such as clothing to remerchandising the racks on the sale floor, first-hand experience provides knowledge of service learning and community-based learning. Why is Social Responsibility Important? • First-hand knowledge of the customers, community, and environment • Experience to the second-hand clothing market • Insight on how to reduce textile waste • Help those in need First-Hand Experience of the Second-Hand Clothing Market As Americans, large amounts of clothing are purchased and disposed of, when operating an upscale resale shop, it is important to understand who the customer is and what the customer wants. When through donated clothing, it was identified if the customers who shop at New to You would sorting first purchase the item, determination of quality of item, and then the item was sorted and taken to the sales floor. The abundance of clothing that is donated and disposed of is remarkable. The ability to have first-hand knowledge of sorting donated merchandise provided insight on the second-hand clothing market. Insight as to who the potential customer is, but also the large consumption of that is thrown away rather than recycled. The volunteer experience not only provided first clothing hand experience to the second-hand clothing market, but it also provided insight on the potential to reduce the amount of textile waste within society and provide those in need with clothing that would otherwise be thrown out. AR
Merchandising to Cater Customers Needs From sorting through donated clothing to visual merchandising products within the store, volunteer experience and community-based learning provides insights on the challenges within resale and the second-hand clothing market.
Convenient Merchandising From numerous experiences of remerchandising the products in the store, one of the major challenges discovered is to work with what you are given. For larger products such as furniture as shown above, the merchandise is more difficult to move around; however, for clothing there are numerous possibilities in order to make shopping easier for the customer especially in a resale store, where there are large amounts of merchandise, sizes, and brands. Remerchandising the racks to align boy’s, girl’s, women’s, and men’s departments made the shopping experience convenient for the customer as similar merchandise was placed in one area rather than in various places within the store. Through first-hand experience of observing and communicating with the customers of the resale shop, it was determined that although they are purchasing second-hand clothing, they want the merchandise to be presented neatly and organized as it would in other retail formats.
Key Takeaways • Always learn and understand all aspects within the industry. • For the industry in general, there are opportunities to reduce the amount of textile waste, but there are also millions of children and adults throughout the world who are in desperate need of clothing. • The clothing that is disposed of here in the United States can easily be used for children and adults within this country, but also around the world. • Not only would this help reduce the amount of clothing disposed of each and everyday, but it would also help those in need.
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“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” -Maya Angelou
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Contact Information: Name: Angelica Rubino Phone: 630-247-5539 Email: angelicarubino8@gmail.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/angelica-rubino/43/b41/209
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. I look forward to meeting you in person to discuss future opportunities. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
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