# Nayana Kodesia > Apparel Designer | 10 Yrs Global Womenswear & Menswear | Design Development, Trend Forecasting, Fabric & Trim Sourcing | Outerwear, Knits, Wovens, Tailoring | Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/nayanakodesia I am a San Francisco–based Senior Apparel & Fashion Designer with 10 years of international experience creating premium, trend-led womenswear and menswear collections across North America, Europe, and Asia. My expertise spans the full product lifecycle—from concept creation, design development, and trend forecasting to sketching, technical package creation, PLM/BOM management, fittings, and production—delivering collections that meet both creative vision and commercial objectives. I have led successful launches across outerwear, tailoring, knits, wovens, suiting, pants, skirts, tops, and accessories, blending global market insights with consumer trend awareness to produce profitable, margin-conscious assortments without compromising on quality or brand DNA. With a strong commitment to sustainability and cultural craftsmanship, I integrate cutting-edge tools—including Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign), AI design tools, and PLM systems—to innovate responsibly while preserving artisanal value. I excel in cross-functional collaboration, partnering with Merchandising, Product Development, Sourcing, and Technical Design teams to deliver cohesive, high-performing seasonal collections. Specialties: concept creation • design development • trend forecasting • apparel design & product development • fabric & trim sourcing & development • PLM & BOM accuracy • tech packs • fit & garment construction • outerwear • tailoring • knits • wovens • suiting • pants • skirts • tops • accessories • sustainability & craft partnerships • CLO 3D • Adobe Illustrator • Adobe Photoshop • Adobe InDesign • AI design tools • global market adaptation • cross-functional leadership • merchandising alignment • sourcing & vendor management • margin optimization ## Work Experience ### Designer @ Old Navy Jan 2025 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area ### Designer @ Banana Republic Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco Bay Area Led the design and development of menswear collections across knits, outerwear, woven shirts, and bottoms, delivering trend-responsive assortments that strengthened category positioning and contributed to sustained profitability growth. • Directed the seasonal design strategy for womenswear, with a focus on outerwear, suiting, pants, skirts, and tops, driving higher category performance and improved gross margins through strategic product mix and design innovation. • Developed assortments that supported comp sales growth while balancing aesthetic vision with commercial viability, ensuring long-term profitability across both men’s and women’s categories. • Created detailed sketches and tech packs in PLM, ensuring data integrity across BOMs and enabling efficient, cost-aware development cycles. • Collaborated with Product Development, Sourcing, and Merchandising to align creative vision with margin targets, fit standards, and critical calendar milestones. • Co-led fit sessions with Technical Design, addressing construction challenges to maintain design integrity while optimizing production efficiency. • Partnered with R&D to source fabrics and trims that elevated product appeal while meeting profitability objectives and brand identity goals. ### Designer and Product Developer @ Ellie Mae Jan 2022 – Jan 2023 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada ### Head of Design @ emproved Jan 2021 – Jan 2022 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada ### Creative Director @ NYNA Label Jan 2016 – Jan 2022 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada and New Delhi, India • Generating and attracting new business • Conceptualizing and producing uniforms for hotels. • Conceptualizing and producing annual womenswear collections for the brand NYNA . • Conceptualizing and producing order based couture and bespoke garments. • Supervising production of garments from start to end i.e.: Conceptualizing, researching, designing, sampling and producing. • Designing and Pattern Cutting all garments produced. • Hiring and supervising artisans and staff according to project requirement. • Conducting periodic quality checks. • Designing embroidery and textiles for collections • Managing multiple projects at the same time. • Managing social media marketing for the brand. • Working on budgets for all big or small productions ### QA Coordinator @ Canada Goose Jan 2019 – Jan 2019 | Toronto, Canada Area - Achieve Quality Assurance objectives by monitoring day-to-day activities - Daily inspection of all sewing, trimming, cutting, down filling, and packing sections of production - Accountable for creating comprehensive reports from daily collected data and timely exchange of results with all stakeholders. KLM reports and PLM reports - Developing and implementing quality improvement activities and policies - Daily follow up on implementation and maintenance of quality standards - Inspect and approve/reject pre-production samples and daily repairs. - Respond to quality assurance issues with related departments in order to find a solution and continually improve the performance of quality policies and procedures - Provided continuous cross-departmental support to design, manufacturing, product development/product engineering, sales, customer service and marketing - Complete all other duties as required to support the missions of the department ### Design Apprentice @ ALLISON RODGER DESIGNS LIMITED Jan 2016 – Jan 2016 | London, UK • Worked as a studio assistant and reported to creative director Alisson Rodger. • Produced garments for clients as well as assisted in fittings. • Organised accounts, stock room and orders from fabrics and trims. • Designed the brand Look book for 2016. • Handled social media for brand. ### Assistant Designer @ Manish Arora Paris Jan 2015 – Jan 2016 • Reported to Manish Arora (Creative Director). • Helped in production of the Spring /Summer 2016 collection showcased in Paris fashion week. • Part of researching, designing and producing all samples. • Headed the silhouette department and designed all silhouettes for Pre Autumn 2016, A/W 2016, Resort 2017 and S/S 2017 collection • Assisted in design development processes. • Handled research and design for brand’s knitwear samples. • Designed the collaboration with Rene Derhy • Lead designer on Swarovski jewellery collaboration. ### Winner for the LDNY Festival @ LDNY Festival Jan 2014 – Jan 2015 | London, United Kingdom & New York City ### Intern @ Bodice Jan 2013 – Jan 2013 | 22 Husz Khas Village, New Delhi, India ### Intern @ House of Vallaya Jan 2011 – Jan 2011 ### Intern @ Art E Form Jan 2008 – Jan 2008 ## Education ### BA(Hons) Fashion Design and Development in Fashion/Apparel Design London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London ### Foundation year in Art and Design Central Saint Martins, University of The Arts London ### Master's Certificate in Project Management Schulich School of Business - York University ### Bachelor of Fine Arts - BFA in Fashion/Apparel Design Parsons School of Design - The New School ### Fashion Sketchbook in Short Course Central Saint Martins, University of The Arts London ### Fashion Folio in Short Course Central Saint Martins, University of The Arts London ### Mother's International School ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nayana-kodesia - Portfolio: https://www.nyna.co - Portfolio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14RfGTmBy6mJ7IZ9XmN6LWcIviesrkJtl/view?usp=sharing --- Source: https://flows.cv/nayanakodesia JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/nayanakodesia/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13