Expert Details
Fashion & Footwear: Consumer Behavior, Copyright, Trademarks, Patents, and Trade Dress Infringement
ID: 739754
Michigan, USA
Expert has owned his own design and manufacturing company, producing in Italy, Portugal, Turkey and Asia, as well as shipping to major retailers in the USA and Europe. He is a world-renowned author of several publications, including the most universally employed textbook in Fashion Footwear education.
Currently, he owns a Design Consulting company providing a wide range of services to Fashion Industry clients globally. Moreover, he has been lecturing in Fashion at several leading universities around the world for almost 20 years, including the London College of Fashion and Polimoda (Italy). As the Linda Dresner Endowed Chair in Fashion Design, for 7+ years he has been teaching Fashion, Footwear, and Accessories Design at the Employer (including both design theory and the actual making of products in the studio).
Expert consults as an Expert Witness to attorneys involved in litigation of Fashion, Apparel, Footwear, Bags, Accessories, and Textile industries. He also has experience consulting on Copyright, Trademark and Trade Dress Infringement issues which can include design patents and licensing. He has over 3 years of expert witness experience with consultations, depositions, and U.S. courtroom testimony (including both domestic and international travel as needed).
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
• As a founding Chair, he single-handedly created an internationally recognized Fashion Design Department.
• Planned and developed a new fashion apparel program, which was approved and accredited by NASAD and the Higher Learning Commission.
• Pioneered remote learning (digitized curriculum) for Fashion Accessories courses.
• Published author of several books on Footwear Design and Menswear Trends.
• Accomplished public speaker, ranging from corporate presentations to numerous television appearances (in the US and Europe).
• Established a fashion advisory council, with board members from Ralph Lauren, LVMH, Hermès, Tapestry and PVH, to name a few.
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 2005 | Degree: MA | Subject: Fashion Menswear | Institution: Royal College of Art |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2016 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Chair & Associate Professor of Fashion Design | Department: Fashion Design |
Responsibilities:- Act as fashion design department head, responsible for all aspects of this division.- Collaborate with the academic affairs office to ensure the execution of a premium curriculum. - Hire professionals with expertise in fashion and/or accessories. - Work closely with institutional advancement to promote and create local and international connections, awareness of the program. - Manage the department budgets, as well as substantial donor scholarship funds and other philanthropic activities. - Handle all corporate opportunities from national and international brands such as Calvin Klein, Stuart Weitzman, Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton and Hermès. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2001 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Director & Founder | Department: |
Responsibilities:- Work for international companies as a strategic design partner.- Recent design collaboration was with the Finnish government and the Dubai 2020 expo. - Continuing work on personal design practice, which is shown in various museums and galleries. - Directed and designed for Jubaki Ltd, a shoe and accessories label founded in 2001 (brand was sold in 2012 to foreign investors). - Handle all sourcing, merchandising, and supervising of sampling and production in Portugal, Italy and United Kingdom. - Participate in trade shows and meet buyers at appointments. - Carry out brand development work. - Sales to the US, UK, Japan, Canada and Europe, including retailers such as Barneys New York, Takashimaya and Harvey Nichols. - Created a men’s footwear private label for Bergdorf Goodman. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2008 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Creative Director | Department: |
Responsibilities:- Direct and design ACFL, a collaboration with Lahtiset, a traditional Finnish felt company.- Design and direct the company’s modern interpretation of felt footwear, accessories and home goods that are geared towards the international market. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2010 to 2012 | Employer: Petrifun | Title: Design Collaboration | Department: |
Responsibilities:- Designed and directed a menswear collaboration brand with Finnish heritage shirt maker.- Collection consisted of a total look for men, including shirts, trousers, jackets, knits and accessories. - full design package included researching trends, materials and colors. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2005 to 2014 | Employer: BDA London | Title: Trend and Design Consultant | Department: |
Responsibilities:- Managed the footwear department of design and brand development agency.- Responsible for color prediction, key shapes, fastenings and materials work; catwalk trend analysis and the translation to brand-specific product. - Clients (Puma, Caterpillar and Harley Davidson) required global trend translation for their future collections. - Designed Caterpillar’s women’s debut collection (A/W ‘07), including presentations to the corporate headquarters group and the design team in London. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2003 to 2005 | Employer: Calafe | Title: Design Consultant | Department: |
Responsibilities:- Designed a factory brand that sold as private labels (e.g., Lambretta, Zara)- Designed the in-house label (Eject), which is distributed globally. - Created four collections (50 styles per collection). - Supervised prototyping and line building, including men’s, women’s, and children’s collections. |
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International Experience
| Years | Country / Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Years: 2007 to 2016 | Country / Region: Italy | Summary: College course leader and lecturer; this involved working with students on their design identity. Also directed Masters in Trend Forecasting and Masters in Footwear programs. Worked closely with Dean Linda Loppa to develop various new ways of teaching and bringing new creativity to this Ferragamo-associated school. Established new international educational exchange programs (e.g., in India, Thailand, Japan, China). |
Career Accomplishments
| Professional Appointments |
|---|
| - Polimoda, Florence, Italy - College Course Leader and Lecturer (2007-2015) - London College of Fashion, London, UK - Visiting Lecturer (2006-2009) - De Montfort University, Leicester, UK - Visiting Lecturer (2005-2008) |
| Awards / Recognition |
|---|
| Awarded Department Chair Endowment. |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| Published author of several books on footwear design and menswear trends. |
Additional Experience
| Expert Witness Experience |
|---|
| 3+ years of expert witness experience with consultations, depositions, and U.S. courtroom testimony (including both domestic and international travel). |
| Other Relevant Experience |
|---|
| Experience involves many areas related to Fashion, such as: consumer behavior, education, entrepreneurship, marketing, visual merchandising, branding, total quality management, textile appraisal, product design, product development, and logistics, as well as both domestic and international sourcing, manufacturing and production. |
Language Skills
| Language | Proficiency |
|---|---|
| Finnish | Native |
| English | Native |
| Italian | Advanced |