MAKING IDEAS INTO REALITY


SINCE 1999

–

 

I am a designer and product development & production manager. I work with manufacturers in the US - New York and Los Angeles, as well overseas in Italy, Portugal, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, India and China.

I am a specialist in raw materials sourcing and am connected with dozens of fabric, trim and material suppliers. Materials sourcing is one of my favorite aspects of the job, so I can really nerd out over fibers and materials and pride myself in helping source the right materials for a design.

I am expert in product development, with a strong understanding of fit and construction, helping take designs to a factory with well thought out details that are realistic and designed correctly for a target price point. I have experience developing and producing every apparel category, as well as accessories, soft goods and hard goods. Building a strong foundation with well-organized product development is the key to ensuring production runs smoothly, so ideally I participate in both the development and production process.

I have been working as a product development and production manager for my entire career, which began in 1999. Most of the people I work with have known me for a decade or more, so I can help you answer the questions you don’t know to ask and connect you to the people who can help make it happen.

I genuinely love what I do and am happy to admit that I continue to learn daily, even after being in the industry for the last two decades.

 

ABOUT COURTNEY

Courtney began her career in fashion in 1999, selling handmade surf trunks by seamstress Sato Hughes, who had been making bespoke shorts for Kanvas by Katin since 1961. A few years later, Courtney worked as a vintage buyer for Japanese distribution company Ragtime Cowboy and Imonni alongside owner and designer Eiko Wise. Eiko was ahead of the curve in terms of vintage reconstruction, ‘up-cycling’ oversized caftans and dated maxi dresses to create renewed clothing. From these two women, Courtney learned the details of fashion construction and handmade clothing production.

In 2004, Courtney began freelancing and working in-house with several brands, providing development and production management to emergent and established brands; manufacturing mostly in the US. As a result of her experience working closely with fabric mills, pattern makers, sample makers, tech designers, graders, cutters, sewers, printers and finishers—all in a factory setting—Courtney gained a diverse skill-set over the course of more than two decades in the industry. Given this tenure and her background in design, Courtney is an expert with regards to construction and production.

Courtney studied at the University of Southern California, earning a bachelor's degree in Visual Anthropology, and a second in Philosophy.

Courtney lives in NYC, working bi-coastally between NYC and LA.