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Lifecycle
Management
and Product
Development as
Global Chief
Creative Officer,
CCO
Liaison between fortune 500 companies, select wholesalers and their suppliers in producing creative, brand exclusive programs
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Left, process snapshot: click the above titles to see more.
Meet Amanda Giddens
President and CCO
Home Decor, Textiles and Art Licensing - Wholesale and Retail
Creative Charlie
by Amanda Giddens
Exclusive Product Design
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2009-2020 I Global Chief Officer of Creative, Sales, and Accounts I VISIONARY DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
(sold in stores globally thru 2024)
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Follow a product thru the creation process...
Textures
Glitter &
Chenille
Pantone Colors
Layering a variety of prints and textures for a designer look
Fun
Icons
Whimsical
Prints
Attend world trade shows to research upcoming trends,
color stories and products, ie. Christmasworld in Germany (left). Create mood boards and trend guides based on findings for specific products such as decorative ribbon. (Above - ribbon shown not Amanda's design.)
Visit retail stores and study on-line product trends (above left) per each client or category. Assign trend complementary processes to each story, (above right) ie.: glitter size, foil type, metallic or flat paint and so on.
Suggest production techniques within the program budget (above), base fabrics, edge treatments (below - not Amanda's ribbon designs), etc.
Prepare custom ribbon designs via hand drawn sketches and computer graphics (below left) based on trends, sales data and budget. Example: a whimsical print (right)
submitted to the factory owner for new sample request.
Oversee sample creation and development via onsite visits between Asian factories (left) and American corporate offices for meetings. Travel averages 150 days annually for development (below) during peak season.
Preparing initial swatches with global factory managers (right) for hands-on review with buyers and development teams (below) such as The Michaels Companies, Sam's Club, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann Stores, Inc., Big Lots and others.
Utilizing tools like e-mail, Skype, Power Point and Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to effectively communicate remotely with clients and factory managers during development as CCO consulting liaison (above right).
Creating new designs after follow-up
development meetings (left) for round two.
Assist buyers and development teams, hands on, in making design revisions (above) while serving as the sales liaison. Prepare post meeting recaps for factory guidance prior to next meeting. The customization development process typically continues for up to ten months, depending on the client.
Tweak textile designs based on clients' requests and factories' limitations, i.e.: updated edge to chenille and changed deer nose to black (above). Next, marry complementary designs by tray creating a fluid story (below). This process creates strong stories within the assortment and promotes layering of styles in decor while upselling products.
Final Product Design
The design example (right) is just one of thousands of ribbon designs created annually for global clients. Each design must be unique and exclusive in some way, making each retailer competitive while accurately representing their brand. In addition, design variety may also be achieved through quality level, cost effective processes, volume and more.
Final Designs in an Assortment
Fortune 50 Company
($59 Billion)
In balancing a variety of solids, prints, textures, trend stories and price points a full assortment comes to life.
Assist buyers in finalizing and approving styles and assortments to meet shipping deadlines for retail
stores. Example (left) Sam's Club
Member's Mark brand
premium ribbon.
Click here to see the full program in Sam's Club!
Exclusive Print and Textile Designs
Print Layouts
Tossed - Continuous
Horizontal - Continuous
Vertically Flowing - Centered
Vertical - Continuous
Horizontally Flowing - Centered
Woven - Continuous
Substrates and Processes
Paint - Printed (1 color)
Foil - Printed (1 color)
Glitter - Printed (1 color)
Woven (multi-color check)
Flocking - Printed (1 color)
Mixed Substrates
Glitter and Paint - Printed (multi-color)
Paint - Printed (multi-color)
Glitter - Printed (multi-color)
Print on Woven Base
(glitter on faux linen)
Faux Knit Example
Printed Paint on a Textured Weave
(lower cost)
Faux Weave Example
Printed Paint on Satin
(lower cost)
Base Fabrics
Canvas
Faux Linen
Woven Metallic
Combine 2 Fabrics
Woven Mixed Fabrics
(metallic and faux linen)
Satin
Velvet
Sheer
Edge Treatments
Sewn
Pressed
Sonic
Folded (print)
Chenille
Pompom
Stitched
Center Wire (spiral)
with a Sewn Edge
Plus thousands more designs such as: Halloween, Fall, Easter, Summer, Spring and Everyday...
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