Talent Spotlight - Alanna Rayford

Meet Alanna Rayford – Alanna is an operations & creative leader with a solid background in fashion, DTC, interior design, real estate, and project management. Operational skills? Check! People and leadership skills? Check, check! Organizational, collaboration, and problem-solving skills? Check, check, check! Alanna is a true creative leader who has exceptional range.

Alanna’s career history showcases her diverse and versatile creative skills. She has a seasoned background in operations, product development, buying, and visual merchandising. Beginning her visual career at United Colors of Benetton, to taking on additional corporate retail positions at bebe, Macy’s, Gymboree and Urban Stitch boutiques.

As her most recent transition away from mainstream fashion, into experiential and interior design — her overall experiences have given her the opportunity to also work with companies like, Havenly, Jack Morton Worldwide, Google, and more. Her intuitive and analytical balance has allowed her to advance in varied levels within her industry. From project management, to entrepreneurship, to executive operational roles, Alanna is definitely a multi-faceted leader. Fun fact about Alanna, she is a left handed published writer, with a bowling average of 215!

If you are a fashion or home brand looking for the perfect blend of operational and creative talent in Los Angeles or San Francisco, then Alanna is a candidate you want to connect with. Reach out to her here or at EMERGING BLUE.

Talent Spotlight - Amy Levine

Meet Amy Levine, a product and business development executive with experience working with mass retailers all the way through to precious jewelry at independent retailers, top department stores and direct to consumer. Having worked with jewelry brands such as GURHAN and Ritani, Amy specializes in building new brands and product offerings, and expanding into new markets creating new revenue streams and increased sales.

One of Amy’s proudest moments is when she successfully launched a new Lab Grown brand from product inception to in-store roll out. From product development, pricing formulas, and merchandising, to inventory budgets, assortment planning, and gross margins, Amy knows it all! Including a great gluten-free banana bread recipe.

Amy works in all ends of jewelry, and she is looking to bring her leadership skills, market insight and product knowledge to her next role. From Amy’s creative product strategies to her highly analytical skills, Amy is the leader you want on your team. If you are looking for talent like Amy, then connect with her here or reach out to EMERGING BLUE.

Talent Spotlight - Marlene Cohen

Meet Marlene Cohen, a product development leader with robust experience in global sourcing, production, supply chain, and merchandising in the apparel, accessories and jewelry industries. Marlene has worked for iconic retailers and wholesalers like Brooks Brothers, Saks Fifth Avenue, Walmart, and David Yurman.

Marlene has an in-depth background in the product development process from conceptualizing, merchandising, financial planning, and sourcing strategies all the way through production and achieving on-time delivery. Not only is Marlene driven by her passion for product but also the rewarding feeling of achieving and surpassing organizational goals. She achieves this through spearheading initiatives and driving growth. She focuses on motivating her team and building exceptional cross functional and vendor/supplier relationships. What can we say, Marlene is a hardworking, genuine leader who gives it her all, and has fun along the way!

From her resilience and flexibility, to having a limitless reservoir of determination and inspirational leadership, Marlene is the product development leader that will take your brand to the next level. If you are looking for a product executive, then Marlene is the leader you need.  She is interested in all product categories from jewelry and accessories to apparel, including active performance wear as she is an avid bicyclist and plays paddle tennis. Marlene also sees herself leveraging her strengths in the expanding opportunities in the beauty and home spaces. Marlene supports sustainability and humanitarian initiatives. She sees herself fitting into companies of all sizes from small startups to large corporations.

Interested in Marlene’s product development skills? Connect with Marlene here or at EMERGING BLUE.

Talent Spotlight - Jana Hunt

Meet Jana Hunt – a Creative Director with experience in the Outdoor and Performance industry across apparel, footwear and equipment. Jana has worked in all facets of the apparel business from retail, wholesale and manufacturing to corporate and startup, where she delivers a wealth of knowledge, perspective and insight. Working with brands like The North Face, Avani Activewear, and Rainbeau, Jana drives a brand vision through impactful storytelling, influencing executive leadership, and attaining cross-functional alignment among regional and global teams.

At The North Face, Jana developed and launched The North Face Iconic Color palette delivering a unified presence of brand DNA in the global market, while simultaneously reducing the corporate palette by 50% eliminating waste and streamlining production. Jana provides a clear and focused path to achieve goals, fosters design thinking, and motivates team members to deliver their best-in-class work that leads innovation. As an inspirational leader, Jana empowers her team members to achieve objectives. As a founding member of the Women’s Empowerment Network (WEN) at the VF Outdoor Campus, Jana is very passionate about empowering women leaders.

What’s next for Jana? She is excited for an opportunity where she can provide forward thinking creative vision, deliver on organizational goals and values and develop a rock star team. If you are looking for a creative leader in the San Francisco Bay Area or remotely, then Jana is the talent you need. Jana is also offering coaching sessions and workshops for professionals who want to develop their leadership skills. Click here to connect with Jana or reach out to EMERGING BLUE.

Talent Spotlight - Jessica Valdez Cantor

Meet Jessica Valdez Cantor, a multicategory retail and merchandising executive with over 15 years’ experience in the e-commerce, wholesale, and retail spaces working with brands Guess?, Inc., Carter’s, Perry Ellis, and Tacori.

Jessica has a strong fashion sense and visual aesthetic spanning creative campaigns, digital content and in-store display. Additionally, she is an operations and data junkie who enjoys working to improve and advance the consumer experience, internal reporting, and SOPs. Jessica has cross-functional international and domestic experience with Design, Product Development, Sales, Planning, Marketing as well as 3rd party vendors.

Next up for Jessica is a full time or consulting role in merchandising/buying or product development. She is interested in apparel, non-apparel, jewelry or home, but is open to most consumer goods categories. If you are looking for an accomplished, strategic merchandising professional with robust planning experience, then Jessica is the leader you need. Connect with her here or at EMERGING BLUE.

Talent Spotlight - Patrick Fraley

Meet Patrick Fraley! Patrick is a senior apparel executive and product marketing specialist with over 25 years’ experience in the outdoor and action sports market.  He has spent the past few years working on social change and environmental projects, but is also missing our dynamic fashion and consumer goods industries. 

Patrick has worked for large brands like Quiksilver, Billabong and Guy Harvey, focused on product marketing, brand management, and building actionable strategies. The majority of his career has been spent in the role of Brand Director where he has been hands-on in the launch of numerous brands and products. He also spent many years' in sales management, working with some of the largest retailers in the country including REI, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Bass Pro Shops.

A leader and critical thinker, Patrick is also a passionate team player. He follows a brand-first, big-picture philosophy to managing the business, and he loves all things creative. He is especially passionate about men’s fashion. If you’re looking for an apparel leader in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, or Denver, or even remote, then Patrick is the talent you need. Connect with Patrick here or at EMERGING BLUE.

Talent Spotlight - DeMarcus Burks

Meet DeMarcus Burks! A self-defined footwear enthusiast who is an U.S. Air Force Airman turned FIDM graduate.  His passionate gravitation towards fashion began in retail, and he has since been committed to a career in design. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Footwear Design & Development as well as an Associate's Degree in Merchandise Product Development. He also has solid Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop skills to create footwear sketches and tech packs, along with a keen eye for concept and trend. 

DeMarcus is passionate about the sneaker culture and is looking for an assistant footwear designer role with an innovative footwear brand. Valuing sustainability, he wholeheartedly believes we can make an incredibly positive impact on our environment when we focus on being in balance with nature. A fun fact about DeMarcus is that he has visited 8 countries. He believes traveling is a must for all designers as it helps open the mind to fresh, new ideas and the different trends and designs every culture brings. He sounds awesome, right?

While currently Los Angeles based, DeMarcus is open to relocating for the right opportunity, and is open to full-time, temporary and project-based roles. Are you in need of an assistant designer with experience in Adobe applications like Illustrator, Photoshop, and Rhino 3D? Then DeMarcus is the creative talent you need! Connect with him here or at EMERGING BLUE.

Talent Spotlight - Sarah Laws

Meet Sarah Laws – a color, trend and concept design director with more than 15 years in the apparel and footwear industries. Sarah worked at Nike in color design & direction for 10 years, where she started as a junior designer and worked her way to director. Additionally, she spent five years as a footwear designer in NYC and Boston. She is a passionate design leader who has strong skills in concepting, connecting seemingly disparate links in trends and culture, color expertise, and mentoring other creatives. She has many proud moments in her long, successful career such as working with the Los Angeles Rams to create new color for their uniforms that launched this year. 

Want to know something fun about Sarah? She studied to be a Master Chocolatier in France! One of her hobbies aside from design is making French-inspired chocolate confections like Bon Bons and bars.

Next up for Sarah professionally is a creative role focused on Color, Trend, Concept and Direction. If you are looking for a creative who is a people-driven, conscientious leader, then Sarah is the talent you need. Connect with Sarah here or at EMERGING BLUE.

Talent Spotlight - Casey Shilling

Meet Casey – a results-driven Chief Marketing Officer with 20+ years of proven experience working alongside C-suite leadership to build high-growth, innovative lifestyle brands in retail, restaurant, fashion, food, and other consumer verticals. Working with brands like J. Hilburn, Zoës Kitchen, and The Container Store, Casey loves to use her marketing expertise to drive teams toward efficient, full-funnel and omnichannel growth while fostering dynamic workplace cultures.

Casey's spent almost 20 years at The Container Store where her marketing, public relations, and communications leadership contributed to the brand awareness and customer excitement around The Container Store’s differentiated and beloved shopping experience and nationally noted workplace culture. While at Zoës Kitchen, she was proud to lead marketing efforts during a pivotal digital transformation, as well as craft a creative, multi-year partnership with American Airlines on a branded, Zoës inflight food program, which won the 2020 International Flight Services Award for Best Inflight Food or Beverage.

From Casey’s ability to define a strategic vision and execute it, to driving digital transformation and leveraging data analytics to create an enhanced consumer experience, Casey has it all and ready to lead your marketing! Up next, Casey is looking for a marketing leadership role with an innovative brand that creatively engages with customers to create an experience that evokes emotion, inspires loyalty, and adds value to their lives. Connect with Casey here or at EMERGING BLUE.

Talent Spotlight - Annamarie Gavin

Meet Annamarie Gavin, a digital native with a BFA from Parsons in Interdisciplinary Design.  She is a designer and brand vocalist who is passionate and driven within the fashion, home, and beauty industries, having worked with companies such as Airbnb, Tata Harper Skincare, and Soludos.

Annamarie led and managed content and photography while styling for Airbnb Plus listings. She has also created content for email marketing, as well as copyediting, web design, and social media management.  While working at Soludos, she designed custom textiles for footwear. As you can see, Annamarie is obsessed with design!  She is proficient across Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, InDesign, Bridge and AfterEffects. She similarly has extensive experience with Trello, Hubspot, and Planoly. As a style enthusiast with a creative background in design, Annamarie knows how to bring a clear, concise voice to her work.

What’s Annamarie’s next role? While she is based Vermont, she is open to relocating for a full-time graphic designer role. Her goal is to be an art director in the fashion industry, but for now she is focusing on her creative graphic design skills. Looking for an awesome designer? Connect with Annamarie here or at EMERGING BLUE.

Talent Spotlight - Matthew Cohen

Meet Matthew Cohen – a creative design leader with a focus in footwear and accessories. Working with brands Vida Shoes, Tommy Hilfiger and Hanesbrands, he is a self-identified “shoe guy” who is all about form and function, with a strong passion for product. His biggest strengths are creativity, commitment to design, as well as his seasoned business acumen. He loves to be at the beginning of a product’s journey and enjoys watching it grow from concept to reality, meeting successful milestones along the way.

Matthew began his career with Vida Shoes where he focused on a streetwear aesthetic, Going forward he joined Jimlar Group - where he worked with Tommy Hilfiger, and then collaborated on the launching of a footwear partnership with Macy’s, and private label brands Alfani, and Bar III. In his most recent role at Studio Ray, he took their outerwear line, Gerry, and he designed and built an outdoor performance footwear extension from the existing line. From the concepting and the ideation, all the way to the execution stage, that is where Matthew thrives!

Matthew is searching for a creative role in the NYC area or remote.  In his next role he would like to be in a position to add value to the market, and world through a design process. If you’re looking for a footwear or accessories design leader, then Matthew is the creative you need.

Talent Spotlight - David Lawrence

Meet David Lawrence, a collaborative retail executive with more than 20 years of experience leading buying, merchandising and ecommerce teams in the men’s apparel, accessories and footwear categories. He started his career at May Department Stores before transitioning to Tailored Brands Inc., where he held multiple merchandise roles, including VP/DMM. David also has led teams in digital and ecommerce for Men's Wearhouse and Tailored Brands, overseeing Menswearhouse.com, Josbank.com, and JosephAbboud.com as the VP of Digital Merchandise.

He has many skills and is a high contributor, being very seasoned in business analysis and forecasting, driving sales and growth where he never loses sight of the bottom line. One of his proudest moments was when he launched the omnichannel fulfillment (ship from store) for Menswearhouse.com.

David is passionate about a role where he can bring his digital and merchandising skills to help an organization grow and achieve their goals. He is looking to join a collaborative team in the San Francisco Bay Area but is also open to outside of California for the right opportunity. If you are in need of a merchandise leader who strategically thinks about the "big picture," effectively leads teams, and able to partner with all key stakeholders, then David is the talent you need. Connect with David here or at EMERGING BLUE.

Talent Spotlight - Alison Frech

Meet Alison, a creative and relationship-driven senior stylist and sales leader who has an expert understanding of fit, trends, and style. Having worked with top companies such as Neiman Marcus and Stitch Fix, Alison used her excellent customer service skills to make all her clients look and feel amazing. From being the top producer for Lalique at Neiman Marcus to styling hundreds of clients at Stitch Fix, Alison is truly an inspirational leader.

Aside from her sales and styling skills, Alison, co-created a networking group for women called Wine Women & Networking to have a safe space to gather and share their work, achievements, and any topic meaningful to them.

Alison is a California native and looking to work in Orange County or remotely. If you’re looking for a driven, creative, and seasoned stylist then Alison is the candidate you want! Connect with Alison here or at EMERGING BLUE.

Talent Spotlight - Jennifer Farnworth-Komar

Meet Jennifer, an art director and design leader with experience crafting consumer journey experiences for brands Nike, Under Armour, Google, and McDonald’s to name a few. She has over 15 years of practice curating creative and innovative user experiences. From the creation of innovative campaigns and events for a wide range of brands, to empowering members on her team to foster growth, she is a true leader!

Jennifer loves to tell a brand’s story. She dives deep into what the brand is currently communicating and finds new and insightful avenues to reach target audiences. Whether focusing on strategy and key demographics to give authenticity to the story or connecting more deeply with audiences, it’s all about the experience for her.

Jennifer is in search for a new brand to tell stories with. She is looking for a creative director role where she can use her never-ending passion to create the best and most memorable consumer journey experiences. Jennifer has a passion for streetwear and recently took the Yellowbrick Program at Parsons in streetwear design. She jokes that she is not a “sneakerhead” but she does have a dog named Tinker Hatfield. If you’re looking for a creative design director, connect with Jennifer here or at EMERGING BLUE.

Talent Spotlight - Andrea LaMonica

Meet Andrea, a consumer-centric merchant with experience across a diversified portfolio of global and domestic brands, all distribution channels, wholesale and retail, and price points from value to premium.  Andrea started her career at the Bloomingdale’s Executive Training Program which she describes as “retail bootcamp.”  From there she went to work for J Crew, Tommy Hilfiger, and Nike where she has a proven track record leading and growing strong businesses in men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, performance and lifestyle.  She has a global mindset with experience in the US, UK, Europe, and Asia markets. Andrea’s expertise is in merchandising, creating a product vision and strategy, and working cross-functionally to bring it to life from concept to commercialization. 

One of her proudest moments was when she led the Nike’s Women’s Sportswear Apparel Category and grew the business by $350M in less than 3 years with increases in every region. Andrea really has it all!  She not only can grow categories, but she is also passionate about creating a culture where innovation, experimentation, and creativity can flourish and thrive. She does this by emphasizing the importance of diversity of thought, teamwork, and thoughtful risk taking.

For Andrea’s next opportunity, she is seeking a senior level merchandising or product role. She loves working in a fast-paced, creative environment at a company with inspiring leaders who support their people, invest in technology, and encourage innovation. If you are looking for a merchandising leader who is flexible and will easily adapt to an ever-changing and evolving retail landscape, then Andrea is the talent you need. Connect with Andrea here or at EMERGING BLUE.

Talent Spotlight - Kenny Stewart

Meet Kenny, a performance-focused leader with 30+ years of experience supporting global technology and product innovation for companies such as JCP, Nike, Harley Davidson, Wrangler, and other mass retailers. Kenny has experience leading cross-functional design, sourcing and production, processing facilities, product safety, and environmental compliance teams. 

Fun fact, Kenny is certified as a scrum master. From his workflow and process efficiency skills to being a seasoned leader with the ability to build strong relationships, Kenny brings a lot of experience with him. Kenny has the passion and direct, proven experience to lead companies toward success while maximizing the efforts of everyone on his team. He is also humble, honest, and thoughtful all while being a creative problem solver. Outside of work, Kenny loves just about any outdoor sport, especially Golf!

What’s Kenny up to nowadays? When Kenny is not spending quality time with his family, he is looking for an exciting role in Product Innovation, Research & Development, and Quality Assurance & Testing. If you are looking for a successful leader who can innovate, provide technical support, and focuses on creating new growth opportunities, then Kenny is the visionary leader you need. Connect with Kenny here or at EMERGING BLUE.