Who I Am
I’m a Philippines-born, Chicago-raised, Portland-based apparel designer and handmade junky.
I believe in the beauty of fit, construction and performance…and super cute things made by hand. I enjoy reusing and upcycling at home and on the job.
Work Experience
My Little Fingers
May 2010 – Present | Designer & Owner
I am currently growing my own company hand-making useful accessories and playful objects. See my products on Etsy and follow me on Twitter.
Merrell, Portland, Oregon
January 2011 – Present | Contract Associate Designer | Women’s
Fall: Fall 2012
Designed women’s knit and woven tops and bottoms for casual outerwear | Assisted Senior Designer with technical illustrations, design updates, color ups, kit hand offs | worked closely with Design Engineers | create color boards | color up print swatches
July 2010 – September 2010 | Junior Product Developer
Collections: Updates to Spring 2011 | Fall 2011
Assist Product Engineers in ensuring factories are supplied with appropriate information in a timely manner | measure sample garments in preparation for fit sessions | enter garment measurements, comment on prototype garments, update and repost design sketches into WebPDM | review Bill of Materials to confirm items are accurate and reflect the approved designs | partner with international counterparts via email to warrant relevant specifications are met | ship samples to international destinations
January 2010 – May 2010 | Associate Designer | Women’s
Collections: Updates to Spring 2011 | Fall 2011
Assist Senior Women’s Designer in all design aspects: create color cad, design updates, photoshoot support, manage design binder | work closely with design engineers | create and update tech packs | spec reference garments | assist in creating presentation boards for internal and external audiences
Adidas America, Inc., Portland, Oregon
May 2007 – May 2008 | Assistant Designer | Sports Performance Training Group
Collections: Girl’s Gym Wear, Spring 2009 | Girl’s Playground, Summer 2009 | Youth Seriously Sporty, Core Sport, Fall 2009
Deliver designs reflecting adidas philosophy and brand | inspiration and trend research|interact with development, patternmaking, materials, graphics and marketing to ensure design direction and concepts are executed accordingly | create design kits | trim developments | artwork schematics | market shopping | ensure appropriate fit and styling of prototype samples
American Apparel, Portland, Oregon
August 2004 – May 2007, June 2008 – April 2010 | Stock, Key Holder
Execute all stock operations | handle point of sale transactions | sales support
Gap, Inc., Portland, Oregon
November 1996 – June 2003 | Visual Merchandiser
Promoted to Visual Merchandiser from Sales Associate | Create and execute window and in-store displays | traveled to Gap locations in the region to revamp stores | train visual specialists
Internships
Anna Cohen, Portland, Oregon
August 2006 – November 2006
Patternmaking | sample sewing | production sewing | assist on photoshoot | prepare
garments for shipment to vendors | silk-screening | general house keeping of studio |
errands | light graphic design work | practice environmentally and socially responsible methods in most of in-studio duties
Grey Matter Design, Portland, Oregon
April 2006 – November 2006
Sourced hardware and sustainable fabrics from domestic and international vendors |
developed patterns for soft good items | sample sewing | light graphic design work
School of Fine and Performing Arts Department of Theater Arts
Production of Lysistrata
Portland State University
September 2004 – November 2004
Research & Development | design | construction | draping | fittings
Education
B.A. in Apparel Design
Art Institute of Portland
Fashion Shows
- Sweet F.A., 2009 | The Fez Ballroom, Portland, Oregon
- Doomtown V, 2008 | The Fez Ballroom, Portland, Oregon
- Doomtown IV, 2007 | Crystal Ballroom, Portland, Oregon
- Rhythm + Form, 2006 | Juried fashion show at The Art Institute of Portland
Out & About
- Fashion Design Camp, 2007 | Handbag Design Instructor
- The Art Institute of Portland Gallery First Thursday Exhibit, 2006 | Showing Designer
