Alex Phillips

laurenalexphillips@gmail.com | (731) 616-1459 |

Portfolio: https://www.laurenalexphillips.com

SUMMARY

Apparel Design Manager with over 10 years of experience leading menswear and womenswear collections for premium designer and performance brands.  Proven track record of increasing revenue and brand relevance through a blend of technical expertise in cut-and-sew knits, wovens, and a highly collaborative, cross-functional team approach. Expert at marrying high-level creative vision with meticulous attention to detail to engineer designs that maximize sell-through and execute brand vision. A dedicated leader recognized for delivering strong core programs and elevated design strategies that resonate with consumers and optimize margin performance.

EXPERIENCE

Simms Fishing Products: Bozeman, MT

2025-Present

Design Manager - Men’s and Women’s 

  • Direct creative strategy and lifecycle management for full Men’s and Women’s assortments, overseeing 150-200 SKUs to drive seasonal growth and market share for a brand that brings in $110 million in annual net sales 

  • Cultivate and mentor a cross-functional design team of senior level and associate designers; establish clear creative objectives and foster an innovative culture to deliver on seasonal brand targets.

  • Optimize end-to-end development calendars, instituting milestones to ensure operational efficiency and speed-to-market.

  • Spearhead comprehensive seasonal design architecture—including print, plaid, and color direction—to align product assortments with strategic sales goals.

  • Drive fabric innovation by partnering with material teams to elevate quality, enhance performance, and improve margin structure.

  • Prioritize functional design excellence, translating end-use needs into technical construction and heritage-inspired workwear details.

  • Serve as strategic design partner to VP of Design, co-authoring presentation formats and product strategies that unify brand consistency across all channels.

  • Direct fit-block and construction standards in collaboration with technical design to minimize returns and elevate the customer experience.

  • Elevate brand equity and visual consistency through cohesive brand trim developments and signature design narratives.

The Orvis Company: Sunderland, VT

2022-2025

Senior Design Manager of Men’s Design | Sept 2023 – Present

Senior Designer - Men’s, Sweaters and Cut and Sew Knits | Dec 2022 – Sept 2023

  • Led Men’s Design strategy, overseeing 450+ SKUs across categories and driving a $70M annual gross profit business through disciplined creative leadership..

  • Developed and executed high-performance knit programs, generating $4M in annual incremental gross profit through targeted market analysis.

  • Developed merino sweater programs that expanded from one of their best selling products 

  • Engineered comprehensive fit-block and construction updates in partnership with technical design; optimized shirting standards to resolve customer feedback and solidify the $20M men's shirting business.

  • Elevated the brand’s visual and commercial consistency by restructuring logo-knit programs and refining aesthetic standards, resulting in $900K annual gross profit.

  • Mentored and developed design talent, implementing new cross-functional processes that streamlined vendor relations and seasonal development.

  • Championed a strategic line transformation for the Dog category, delivering a projected $18M in annual gross profit through aesthetic elevation and fit-first product engineering

Billy Reid Inc: Florence, AL

2014-2022

Senior Designer - Men’s + Women’s, Wovens and Knitwear | 2019 – 2022

Designer - Men’s + Women’s, Sweater and Cut and Sew Knits | 2016 – 2019

Assistant Designer | 2015 – 2016

Design Intern | 2014 – 2015

  • Led seasonal design of 200+ men’s SKUs and 120 women’s SKUs, managing knitwear, sweaters, bottoms, shirting, tailored, and outerwear categories from concept to final sampling. 

  • Accelerated wholesale channel sell-through via innovation of curated designs for Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s. Collaborated with buyers in assessing needs and customizing assortments to specific markets.

  • Conceptualized programs that greatly increased sales, including knit programs for wholesale exclusives and key programs, and core men’s sweater program that delivered increased sales over 2 consecutive seasons.

  • Elevated wholesale sell-through through exclusive capsule collections for Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s.

  • Directed seasonal concept development, CAD creation, swatch books, and market materials.

  • Managed design calendar milestones in partnership with Production, improving delivery alignment.

  • Conducted seasonal fabric and yarn sourcing, concept building, and market research via attendance and participation at Milano Unica, Pitti Filati, and international design trips.

  • Supervised designers and assistants across multiple apparel categories.

Theory: New York, NY

Fall 2013

Fabric Design Intern

EDUCATION

Parsons The New School of Design: New York, NY

Bachelor of Fine Arts – Apparel Design

Central Saint Martins: University of the Arts London: London, UK
Exchange Undergraduate Program – Apparel Design

SKILLS

  • Apparel Design (Menswear & Womenswear: Knitwear, Outerwear, Wovens, Accessories)

  • Merchandising

  • Color & Trend Forecasting

  • Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)

  • Microsoft Office, Google Suite, RLM, Smartsheet, Figma

  • Tech Packs, Digital Flats, Fit Analysis & Construction

  • Vendor Development & International Sourcing

  • Leadership & Team Development

  • Calendar Building and Strategic Planning 



References available upon request.