Begum Gulfidanli Ers

I have played a central role in generating commercial success and raising brand awareness for several companies by creating strategies, designing collections and carrying out market research, in my 19 year corporate career.

I have been involved in the creation, development and repositioning of several brands that I have reformulated their collections and product strategies.

The continuous evolution of markets and lifestyles and growing competitiveness in the sector, have led to the need for the continuous renewal of business models. My experience and training starting from fabric through garment and until final customer allows me to provide quality and specialization in my designs and to implement integrated strategies of fashion-design, marketing and merchandising, budgeting.

• Identified business development challenges and customer concerns for proactive resolution.
• Defined company roles and responsibilities to establish and enhance processes.
• Developed key operational initiatives to drive and maintain substantial business growth.
• Created organization's mission and vision statements for use by employees.
• Directed market expansions to propel business forward, meet changing customer needs.
• Cultivated forward-thinking, inclusive and performance-driven company culture to lead industry innovations.
• Prepared annual budgets with controls to maximize EBITDA.
• Managed financial, operational and human resources to optimize business performance.
• Initiated strategy to drive company growth and increase market share and profitability.
• Oversaw business-wide changes to modernize procedures and organization.
• Monitored key business risks and established risk management procedures.

• Collaborated with faculty and staff to create meaningful learning experiences.
• Mentored and advised students to explore career pathways based and amplify knowledge, skills and strengths.
• Participated in conferences and professional development opportunities to stay up-to-date with latest trends in field.
• Created and designed short and long term courses,lesson plans and curriculum to meet academic objectives on

Range Planning
Costing
Pricing
Fashion Design Management
Brand Management
Fashion Consumer Behaviour

• Developed and implemented innovative teaching strategies to engage students in lectures and coursework.
• Arranged syllabus, developed schedule, and determined reading list for varied courses simultaneously, giving students appropriate time to complete assignments and absorb information.
• Utilized distance learning technology to instruct students remotely.
• Graded quizzes, tests, homework, and projects to provide students with timely academic progress information and feedback.
• Taught diverse student population by employing various learning styles and abilities.

• My position as a Design Director in the pioneer ready to wear company Mudo Satis Magazalari A.S in Turkey, (known for its brands Mudo Collection, Mudo FTS 64, Mudo Kids and Mudo Accessoires ) caters for range and option planning, developing collections accordingly within the buying budget and directing the merchandising mix of all the 4 brands stated above.
• With a professional approach, I have repositioned the brands, based on high level of creativity and commerce, using core aspects of marketing and merchandising.

• Managed workloads of designers, illustrators and other team members to optimize productivity and timeliness of task completion.
• Researched design trends, technology and processes and directed work of design team . Conducted research and identified market trends to inform creative direction.
• Chaired design team meetings and issued action items.
• Monitored progress of projects, keeping on schedule and within budget.
• Provided cost-effective creative solutions.
• Utilized industry-standard software to design layouts and create storyboards for visual presentations.

• Directed photo shoots for print and digital media, reviewing each element against client standards and expectations.
• Created innovative advertising campaigns that successfully generated increased brand awareness and recognition.
• Collaborated with marketing and advertising teams to maintain brand consistency across campaigns.

• Coordinated with vendors and suppliers to source materials and equipment needed for production.

• Established, initiated and optimized business development strategies based on company targets, product specifications, market data, and budget factors.
• Planned, implemented, and tracked sales and marketing strategies to promote brand products.
• Spearheaded strategic brand plans for multiple product lines to increase market share and brand awareness.Incorporated product changes into marketing messages to drive customer engagement and maximize profits.
• Created and managed budgets to maximize brand reach and engagement.
• Developed and executed branding campaigns to educate target audiences on product features, benefits and values.
• Cultivated relationships with key stakeholders, vendors and industry influencers to create positive brand experiences.
• Analyzed customer feedback and market trends to make informed decisions about product and brand messaging.
• Coordinated with design and media teams to develop high-quality creative assets.
• Analyzed and reported on KPIs to validate and demonstrate success of the brand.

• Researched design trends, technology and processes and directed work of design team .
• Spearheaded design process to align with client specifications and budget.
• Worked with creative teams to develop concept designs that resonated with target audiences.
• Managed workloads of designers, illustrators and other team members to optimize productivity and timeliness of task completion.
• Chaired design team meetings and issued action items.
• Provided cost-effective creative solutions.
• Collaborated with marketing and advertising teams to maintain brand consistency across campaigns.

• Director of Design and PR Department in a pioneer menswear ready to wear company known for its brands Damat Tween and D's Damat.
• Monitored and coordinated workflows of Design and PR teams.
• Leveraged professional networks and industry knowledge to strengthen brand's collections.
• Assisted with sales and marketing strategies to foster achievement of revenue goals.
• Oversaw supply chain functions to verify inventory levels and budget adherence.
• Drafted and distributed reports to assist board members with critical business decisions.
• Interacted well with customers to build connections and nurture relationships.

• Created and manufactured numerous seasonal collections for each two brands, starting from color specification stage until to retail and wholesale's all around the world, including the production.
• Researched design trends, technology and processes and directed work of design team.
• Spearheaded design process to align with client specifications and budget.
• Monitored progress of projects, keeping on schedule and within budget.
• Chaired design team meetings and issued action items.
• Appointed design consultants and encouraged performance pursuant to deed and scope of service.
• Directed photo shoots for print and digital media, reviewing each element against client standards and expectations.
• Developed style guides to promote consistent branding across projects.

• Managed the New York liaison office of a leading Turkish textile fabric company Italteks Ekspo Group Tekstil
• Established different customer portfolios for fabric and garment sales.
• Monitored office workflow and administrative processes to keep operations running smoothly.
• Worked closely with board of directors to guide operational strategy.
• Worked closely with very big groups e.g Gap,Macy's, Calvin Klein, J.C Penney's and many more.
• Recruited, hired, and trained initial personnel, working to establish key internal functions and outline scope of positions for new organization.
• Interacted well with customers to build connections and nurture relationships.
• Designed new fabric and garment collections according to the needs of market, configured new marketing strategies and imposed them with two other sales representatives.
• Managed purchasing, sales, marketing and customer account operations efficiently.

• Italteks Ekspo Group is a vertical operation company starting from spinning and ending up with women's r-t-w garments.
• Worked closely with management to provide effective assistance for specific aspects of business operations.
• Assisted manager in all aspects of business operations.
• As a multi skilled person, I was first responsible for the design and style office afterwards I took part in London and New York liaison office projects.
• Supervised four factories (Spinning, Knitting, Weaving, Dyeing, Printing and Garment Manufacturing) and prepared basis for ISO 9002 certification process.
• Updated spreadsheets and databases to track, analyze, and report on performance and sales data.