JayaKumar Raghavan Pillai
Ardee City, Gurgaon,INDIA
Summary
A multi faceted ,proactive and progressive leader with over 20 years of expertise in the Fashion Industry. Goal oriented with an effective management style, superior communication skills and strategic business development planning. - Excellent communicator / Multilingual (English ,Hindi , Malayalam & Tamil) - Multimillion dollar business building - Product development / Pricing and negotiation skills - Supply chain management - Customer Service / Vendor Sourcing / Risk Management - Quick adaptability to new places, people and languages
Overview
55
55
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
Work History
TJ Maxx
- USA – Kids sweaters
- Worked on Fall kids sweater development and sampling
- Travelled to Boston for the initial presentation and then to Hongkong for costing closure
- Shipped for Fall15
- Currently handling :
ULLA POPKEN GROUP
07.2018 - Current
- Worked on from basic knits and wovens womens top to more embellished , embroidered style , accecories like scarf
- Working on new categories – nightware , embellished dress
OXFORD GROUP
07.2017 - Current
- Started small with their retail qnty – working with their Hk team
- Based on doing sms/dev/shipping over last few years ,currently running the following categories –
- A) 100% woven linen shirt– solid and yarn dyed
- B) 100% Cotton and blend – shirts
- C) Garment dye knits polo
- D) Worked closely with their Seattle team on new categories of knits , woven bottoms , sweater
- NEW BRANDS – Working currently on the below new brands
Group Leader
Ralph Lauren
10.2012 - Current
- USA ( brand Chaps Mens / Womens - Knits), ( Product Development +Production), Responsible for all season sampling ( finalising factories /mills)
- Fabric developments / Presentations in Newyork with design team
- Costing discussion – conference with buyers and factories
- Finalising the vendor list for bulk order placement based on product category and monthly capacity available
- Worked with customer in the introduction of 2 new products which became a big success – snow nepz polo/crew and fleece pants for brand ‘Chaps Sports”
- Worked with customer in the introduction of the ‘Chaps International Line’
- Fall 15 – Introduced a completely constructed knit blazer and was liked by the design team – were able to book quantities for FALL 15
- Introduced basic upgraded crew – cotton poly – with easy care treatment which was huge success
- Started Chaps Womens label from 2015 and grew it to $7 million by 2019
- With OVED USA group taking over the Chaps Mens label in 2021, relocated the whole business to Bangladesh and Tirupur , worked on sharper pricing , new vendors and pulled in business worth $12million USD
Knits Merchandiser (Production + Fabric Coordinator)
Triburg Sportswear
New Delhi, Gurgaon, India
•Riggins, Canada
07.2000 - Current
Group Leader
Hampshire
05.2008 - 10.2012
- Heading three teams handling the above brands.(total business handled 50 million USD per year)
- Season sampling / development / new categories
- Fabric developments for new season / showcasing new developments in NYK with our design team
- Costing - all seasons
- Vendor management – Space planning with running factories (different Indian regions) and introduction of new factories based on set criteria’s
- Bulk planning – from fabric planning , production space booking to shipping plan
- Imported fabric – Handled shipment of 400,000 pcs with fleece and Sherpa fabric from China
- Upgrading of products – Solid Pique category upgraded to oxford pique – this became a huge category
- Created a sharp price category for cotton poly crew
- Landau – USA -Apparel for Healthcare
- Travelled to Dallas to work on the woven and knit line with Buyer
- Line with properties like Soil release, wrinkle free
- Travelled to Shanghai to work with Chinese mills on woven fabrics
- Handled shipments for hospital knit polo and printed woven gown
- USA – Knits /Woven’s /Sweaters
- Brands handled –
- Joseph Abboud – knits / woven’s
- Dockers – shirts /sweaters
Sr.Merchandiser
Phillip Van Heusen Group
Arrow, Van
07.2001 - 04.2008
- Fabric/Sample Development
- Costing/Negotiation – With factories and mills
- Vendor Planning / Management – Knitting , Processing and Production space planning
- Bulk order placement , planning the Time &action plan ,shipping
- Given the added responsibility of the new brand Timberland – worked on the complete initial line of slub polos ,pigments , fleece line jackets(imported fabrics)
- Travelled to Hongkong and Newyork along with the design team for presentation of the new developments for spring and fall season, USA (, Heusen Mens ,Timberland ) , Ralph Lauren Chaps ,Landau ,Tommy Bahamas ,Hampshire , TJ Maxx Kids), Indian Domestic
Phillip Van Heusen Group
07.2000 - 06.2001
- Fabric planning with factories /mills
- New fabric developments for different seasons
- Developed a complete line of knit polos in mercerized fabrics – solid , normal yarn dyes and jacquards
- Production planning /factory selection / shipping, ( Arrow , Arrow Golf , Timberland ,Van Heusen Mens
Knit Merchandiser
Malu NV Sourcing
Tirupur, Denmark
06.1998 - 05.2000
- Costing & price negotiations / Order confirmations
- Vendor base selection and management
- Fabric sourcing /development
- Shipping / Vessel planning
Knit Merchandiser
Suryaprabha Group
Tirupur
05.1996 - 01.1998
- Seasonal sampling , product development
- Fabric sourcing & development
- Costing & price negotiations
- Order confirmation /management
- Shipping
Education
Higher Education - Science
01.1988 - 01.1989
Bachelor of Science - undefined
01.1989 - 01.1992
Diploma in Computer Application - undefined
DCA - undefined
Post Graduate Diploma - Foreign Trade Management
PGDFTM
Master of Business Administration (MBA - Marketing
Skills
Excellent communicator
Teamwork and Collaboration
Organization and Time Management
Decision Making
Multitasking Abilities
Accomplishments
- REFINERY - S.SFRICA
- Main Areas of FOCUS –
- Target Costing
- Merchandise Planning
- Production Planning and Management
- Tapping new categories , vendors/regions , mills
- New Brand Development / Adding new categories for the current brands
- Supply Chain Management
- Yearly Target setting for team and division
- Travelling extensively ,meeting current customers for costing /sourcing , trade shows ,mill weeks
- Training –
Timeline
ULLA POPKEN GROUP
07.2018 - Current
OXFORD GROUP
07.2017 - Current
Group Leader
Ralph Lauren
10.2012 - Current
Group Leader
Hampshire
05.2008 - 10.2012
Sr.Merchandiser
Phillip Van Heusen Group
07.2001 - 04.2008
Knits Merchandiser (Production + Fabric Coordinator)
Triburg Sportswear
07.2000 - Current
Phillip Van Heusen Group
07.2000 - 06.2001
Knit Merchandiser
Malu NV Sourcing
06.1998 - 05.2000
Knit Merchandiser
Suryaprabha Group
05.1996 - 01.1998
Bachelor of Science - undefined
01.1989 - 01.1992
Higher Education - Science
01.1988 - 01.1989
TJ Maxx
Diploma in Computer Application - undefined
DCA - undefined
Post Graduate Diploma - Foreign Trade Management
PGDFTM