Magazine : Ashok Swami Swami
Current
Apparel-Buying & Merchandising
Education
PG Diploma Retail Management
Industry
Retailing
About Ashok Swami Swami
With Over all 7 years of Exp. and
Key skills of
Global sourcing for Apparels
Sourcing mainly from India & China.
Sourcing Merchandise of Branded , Non-Branded Merchandise from Domestic market/Traders/Distributors.
New Development of Product range with consideration of price points.
Fabric,Trims, Apparels Sourcing from india & China.
Merchandising,
Vendor Development,
Brand Marketing
Merchandise buy plan.
Making cost sheets for accurate price of the product.
Negotiation with vendors on prices.
Product development - Sampling , Preparing new range / Line as per season's requirement with original inspirations.
Production follow up.
Currently providing my services to Vee India Retail Pvt. Ltd. as Asst. Manager - Sourcing ,Buying & Merchandising.
Key skills of
Global sourcing for Apparels
Sourcing mainly from India & China.
Sourcing Merchandise of Branded , Non-Branded Merchandise from Domestic market/Traders/Distributors.
New Development of Product range with consideration of price points.
Fabric,Trims, Apparels Sourcing from india & China.
Merchandising,
Vendor Development,
Brand Marketing
Merchandise buy plan.
Making cost sheets for accurate price of the product.
Negotiation with vendors on prices.
Product development - Sampling , Preparing new range / Line as per season's requirement with original inspirations.
Production follow up.
Currently providing my services to Vee India Retail Pvt. Ltd. as Asst. Manager - Sourcing ,Buying & Merchandising.
Ashok Swami Swami ’s experience
Product Manager/Project Manager/Manager/Supervisor/Team Leader
at
Vee India Retail
, Mumbai, INDIA
September 2008 – Currently Working
Industry: Retailing
Functional area: Fashion / Garments / Merchandising
Division – Apparels
Category – Mens wear & Womens
wear. Designation – Asst. Manager –Sourcing,Buying and
Merchandising Handling Buying and Merchandising activities
of A/c for Brands - United Colors of Benotton , Guess , NEXT
, “W” , Greg Norman , Blackberry’s , Lacoste , Lee Cooper
, Pepe Jeans , Lee , Wrangler , Arrow , Nautica , Colorplus ,
Indian Terrain , Allen solly , Louis Phillipe , Van Heusen , Nike
, Addidas, Puma , Reebok , Lotto , Givo , Savile row , Levis
,Lacoste etc.. Job Responsibilities: • Business
Development & Marketing – Front end communication with Brands
, Distributors, Traders. • Store Image Communication with
Brands • Negotiating with suppliers/brands on prices /
margins. • Freezing Margins , Payment Terms and conditions
. • Merchandise Buy planning , • Sourcing
, • Identification of Right Product mix • Merchandise
Selection as per brand / Product performance . • Visual
Merchandising • Merchandise Stacking • Color
Mapping • Branding • Vendor Development • Co-ordination
with concerned Dept. for daily/Weekly/Monthly sales
report. • Co-ordinating with Distribution Centre /
Warehouse. • Merchandise Allocation plan. • OTB plan as per
requirement / replenishment. • Travelling North & South India
For Sourcing & Buying of Various products for the Category from
Different Brands.
wear. Designation – Asst. Manager –Sourcing,Buying and
Merchandising Handling Buying and Merchandising activities
of A/c for Brands - United Colors of Benotton , Guess , NEXT
, “W” , Greg Norman , Blackberry’s , Lacoste , Lee Cooper
, Pepe Jeans , Lee , Wrangler , Arrow , Nautica , Colorplus ,
Indian Terrain , Allen solly , Louis Phillipe , Van Heusen , Nike
, Addidas, Puma , Reebok , Lotto , Givo , Savile row , Levis
,Lacoste etc.. Job Responsibilities: • Business
Development & Marketing – Front end communication with Brands
, Distributors, Traders. • Store Image Communication with
Brands • Negotiating with suppliers/brands on prices /
margins. • Freezing Margins , Payment Terms and conditions
. • Merchandise Buy planning , • Sourcing
, • Identification of Right Product mix • Merchandise
Selection as per brand / Product performance . • Visual
Merchandising • Merchandise Stacking • Color
Mapping • Branding • Vendor Development • Co-ordination
with concerned Dept. for daily/Weekly/Monthly sales
report. • Co-ordinating with Distribution Centre /
Warehouse. • Merchandise Allocation plan. • OTB plan as per
requirement / replenishment. • Travelling North & South India
For Sourcing & Buying of Various products for the Category from
Different Brands.
Product Manager/Project Manager/Manager/Supervisor/Team Leader at Unisource Group/Steve and Barry's , Mumbai, INDIA
April 2007 – August 2008
The Unisource Group ( with sourcing offices across the globe ) is
an International Conglomerate which is the creative global
procurement and solution affiliate for America’s fastest
growing Retail Chain , Steve and Barry’s university sportswear.
New York , USA. I am Providing my services to the
organization from Apr’2007 to Aug’2008. Division
Global Sourcing - Apparels Category Mens Shirts , Ladies
Woven Tops & Mens Outerwear ( Jackets ) Designation Sr.
Executive – Apparel Sourcing and Merchandising Division. The
company have different departments / procedures to control the
garment quality at different stages so the responsibilities for
the product is limited to individuals. My Job
Responsibilities is Apparel Sourcing which includes
.: Product
Development: • Working closely with New York Office team on
designs , colors and pattern of the garment. • To make sure a
particular garment can actually be manufactured efficiently and
within budget. • Discussing the design , fabric , trims ,
styling , stitching details of garment and accordingly getting
the techpack updated for vendor . • Discussing the
product pricing with consideration of the fabric , trims ,
packing etc. • Working closely with pattern maker to create
the master pattern for desired design. • Issuing the pattern +
techpack to vendors for proto sample. • Checking the fit and
measurement acceptance level with the technical team at different
stages of Sample submits from vendor like - Proto ,
size set , pre-production and sealing stage . Apparel
Sourcing :- • Making Cost Sheet for the styles considering the
Fabrics + Trims + CMT + Washes etc. Providing the techpacks +
qty to vendor for better price quotations. Sourcing / Buying
the product Considering – • Direct cost estimation - which
includes cost of materials , direct labour cost and variable cost
of factory usage. • Production capacity of the factory -
which includes output of materials ,product parts , finished
goods in
• A specified period of time at the
expected quality level. • Quality - Selecting the source
which provides goods that match the quality standards desired .
• Timing - Selecting the source who can produce smaller
initial orders closer to the time of sale on retail floor and get
fast replenishment of “hot item”. • Considering the Social
Compliance factors . • Considering the materials / Finished
goods of Vendors including the following.: • Less Expensive
of product making. • Availability of excess plant capacity
and Specialised equipments. • Vendors Know how and expertise
of the product. • Desire to Develop and maintain the business
relation with expected services. • Need to exert direct
control over production and quality . • Desire for design
secrecy. • Limited Lead time with Quick Response system.
• Meetings with vendors if sourcing within the same country.
• Cost price negotiation and confirmation with the vendors as
per budgeted parameters. • Confirmation of lead time
deliveries with the vendors as per fabric , style wise
etc. Merchandising and Support to QA:- • Working in online
supply Chain Management System of the
company. • Correspondence and co-ordination with product
development team to ensure all approvals / comments on fits and
specs to be done on time. • Giving approvals on Lab dips ,
Desk loom , Bulk fabric and finding the minute details of
acceptance levels with co-ordination of in-house Lab
. • Working as per Time & Action Plan and ensuring all the
submissions / approvals & production done as per required time
frame. • Working with closely with vendors from the time of
order placement till shipment stage. • Weekly meetings (
Conference Call ) with vendors on orders placed with them to
ensure everything goes timely and smoothly. • Co-Coordinating
with country offices and their chief representatives and checking
weekly status on e-mail / conference call. • Passing on the
required order details + sealed sample to QA team for inspections
. • Co-ordinating with Quality assurance team to ensure the
team strives to attain the best quality level • ( AQL – 1 )
in inspections etc. • Checking timely status of production
for each order with the QA Dept. • After final inspection ,
Taking decisions within the given understood parameters to clear
the shipments. • Discussing required documents / packing list
for the shipment and ensuring all the document are ready
• before Final inspection of goods. • To release the
shipment approval form to Garment vendor after which the shipment
is accepted.
an International Conglomerate which is the creative global
procurement and solution affiliate for America’s fastest
growing Retail Chain , Steve and Barry’s university sportswear.
New York , USA. I am Providing my services to the
organization from Apr’2007 to Aug’2008. Division
Global Sourcing - Apparels Category Mens Shirts , Ladies
Woven Tops & Mens Outerwear ( Jackets ) Designation Sr.
Executive – Apparel Sourcing and Merchandising Division. The
company have different departments / procedures to control the
garment quality at different stages so the responsibilities for
the product is limited to individuals. My Job
Responsibilities is Apparel Sourcing which includes
.: Product
Development: • Working closely with New York Office team on
designs , colors and pattern of the garment. • To make sure a
particular garment can actually be manufactured efficiently and
within budget. • Discussing the design , fabric , trims ,
styling , stitching details of garment and accordingly getting
the techpack updated for vendor . • Discussing the
product pricing with consideration of the fabric , trims ,
packing etc. • Working closely with pattern maker to create
the master pattern for desired design. • Issuing the pattern +
techpack to vendors for proto sample. • Checking the fit and
measurement acceptance level with the technical team at different
stages of Sample submits from vendor like - Proto ,
size set , pre-production and sealing stage . Apparel
Sourcing :- • Making Cost Sheet for the styles considering the
Fabrics + Trims + CMT + Washes etc. Providing the techpacks +
qty to vendor for better price quotations. Sourcing / Buying
the product Considering – • Direct cost estimation - which
includes cost of materials , direct labour cost and variable cost
of factory usage. • Production capacity of the factory -
which includes output of materials ,product parts , finished
goods in
• A specified period of time at the
expected quality level. • Quality - Selecting the source
which provides goods that match the quality standards desired .
• Timing - Selecting the source who can produce smaller
initial orders closer to the time of sale on retail floor and get
fast replenishment of “hot item”. • Considering the Social
Compliance factors . • Considering the materials / Finished
goods of Vendors including the following.: • Less Expensive
of product making. • Availability of excess plant capacity
and Specialised equipments. • Vendors Know how and expertise
of the product. • Desire to Develop and maintain the business
relation with expected services. • Need to exert direct
control over production and quality . • Desire for design
secrecy. • Limited Lead time with Quick Response system.
• Meetings with vendors if sourcing within the same country.
• Cost price negotiation and confirmation with the vendors as
per budgeted parameters. • Confirmation of lead time
deliveries with the vendors as per fabric , style wise
etc. Merchandising and Support to QA:- • Working in online
supply Chain Management System of the
company. • Correspondence and co-ordination with product
development team to ensure all approvals / comments on fits and
specs to be done on time. • Giving approvals on Lab dips ,
Desk loom , Bulk fabric and finding the minute details of
acceptance levels with co-ordination of in-house Lab
. • Working as per Time & Action Plan and ensuring all the
submissions / approvals & production done as per required time
frame. • Working with closely with vendors from the time of
order placement till shipment stage. • Weekly meetings (
Conference Call ) with vendors on orders placed with them to
ensure everything goes timely and smoothly. • Co-Coordinating
with country offices and their chief representatives and checking
weekly status on e-mail / conference call. • Passing on the
required order details + sealed sample to QA team for inspections
. • Co-ordinating with Quality assurance team to ensure the
team strives to attain the best quality level • ( AQL – 1 )
in inspections etc. • Checking timely status of production
for each order with the QA Dept. • After final inspection ,
Taking decisions within the given understood parameters to clear
the shipments. • Discussing required documents / packing list
for the shipment and ensuring all the document are ready
• before Final inspection of goods. • To release the
shipment approval form to Garment vendor after which the shipment
is accepted.
Area Sales Manager at Lilliput Kids Wear , INDIA
January 2007 – April 2007
Worked as a Trainee – Area Sales Manager for Store Operations
. Location – Mumbai . Study Curriculum & Reponsibilities
– • Co-ordinatiing with Stores and Head
office. • Working on Daily sales report of the store for Card
and Cash sales. • Working on Daily,weekly and monthly sales
figures of the stores and co-ordinating with head
office. • Visiting stores to check the visuals , stock ,
inward inventory , outward inventory cash expenses , daily cash
deposits. • Monthly inventory. • Training store staff to
handle customer. • Working with Headoffice Visual
Merchandisers for Store Display etc. • Visual Merchandising.
. Location – Mumbai . Study Curriculum & Reponsibilities
– • Co-ordinatiing with Stores and Head
office. • Working on Daily sales report of the store for Card
and Cash sales. • Working on Daily,weekly and monthly sales
figures of the stores and co-ordinating with head
office. • Visiting stores to check the visuals , stock ,
inward inventory , outward inventory cash expenses , daily cash
deposits. • Monthly inventory. • Training store staff to
handle customer. • Working with Headoffice Visual
Merchandisers for Store Display etc. • Visual Merchandising.
Sr. Executive - Apparel Sourcing & Merchandising at MIrage Clothing Co. , Mumbai, INDIA
February 2004 – January 2007
Designation Sr. Apparel Sourcing Merchandiser .
A Sourcing
office who procures for the Apparel / Accessories section of
some of the Biggest Retail Chain of Stores of UK , Dublin ,
UAE . (and also for U.K. based importers ). A ) Peacocks
Stores - U.K. B ) Primark Stores - U.K. C ) Penny’s Stores
- Dublin D ) Heaton’s Stores- Dublin. E ) Landmark Group of
companies – Dubai , UAE. For Men’s , Ladies and Kids
Category for Apparels and Accessories. Have Handled Baby Girls
wear , Older Girls wear , Ladies beach wear , Mens Shirts for
above clients. A few procedures which are been used in Mirage
clothing for product development and sourcing Product
Development • Understanding the market, competition,
product and the color trends for the buyer and responding to the
product styling , pricing and possible deliveries
accordingly. • Getting Created story boards, themes and
designs from Cad team to develop the products for
clients. • Understanding the details of the product design and
specification • Getting sample made as per the specifications
given by client. • Preparing new developments according to the
seasons and buyer requirements • Taking care of samples
Quality and ensuring all the details are as per
requirement. • Alerting the client for any possible /
impossible detailing from production point of view. • Costing
of products as per the targets given by client. • Follow up
with the vendors to ensure that samples are carried out on
time. • Maintaining MIS reports to keep track on the sampling
process. • Follow up with vendors for photo samples, sales man
samples till production samples. SOURCING • Sourcing
the products selected by buyer with the targeted price
. • Cost price negotiation and confirmation with the vendors
as per budgeted parameters. • Confirmation of lead time
deliveries with the vendors as per fabric , style wise
etc. • Also Sourcing new products from suppliers & vendors
according to the season which is then forwarded
to buyer for their interest / selection . • Follow up with
vendors for new developments carried out on time. • Business
Development- o A ) Contacting new clients and increasing
business with existing clients. o B ) Sourcing new vendors of
trims and collaterals for better quality and cheapest price
. Merchandising & Production • Working on a time and
action system . • Chasing vendors and having weekly status
report on e-mail , telephone , or personal meeting for timely
submissions of labdips , Desklooms , fit samples , Pre-production
samples . • Checking the submissions at our end and taking a
call if anything is not up to the mark / requirement.
• Forwarding the submissions to buyer with comments /
explaining the production possibilities. • Chasing buyer for
timely approval and ensuring the comments if any to be followed
for bulk . • Working on deleiveries with the vendors and
ensuring buyer on the timely deliveries. • Closely involved
with production team at each and every step for aesthetic point
of view. • Taking decisions within the given understood
parameters to clear the shipments. • Working with closely with
vendors from the time of order placement till shipment stage.
• Co-coordinating with Quality assurance team to ensure the
team strives to attain the best quality level (
AQL – 1 ) in inspections etc. • Checking timely status of
production for each order with the QC Dept. • Checking Mid /
Final inspection reports and visiting for online inspections for
100% quality assurance.
office who procures for the Apparel / Accessories section of
some of the Biggest Retail Chain of Stores of UK , Dublin ,
UAE . (and also for U.K. based importers ). A ) Peacocks
Stores - U.K. B ) Primark Stores - U.K. C ) Penny’s Stores
- Dublin D ) Heaton’s Stores- Dublin. E ) Landmark Group of
companies – Dubai , UAE. For Men’s , Ladies and Kids
Category for Apparels and Accessories. Have Handled Baby Girls
wear , Older Girls wear , Ladies beach wear , Mens Shirts for
above clients. A few procedures which are been used in Mirage
clothing for product development and sourcing Product
Development • Understanding the market, competition,
product and the color trends for the buyer and responding to the
product styling , pricing and possible deliveries
accordingly. • Getting Created story boards, themes and
designs from Cad team to develop the products for
clients. • Understanding the details of the product design and
specification • Getting sample made as per the specifications
given by client. • Preparing new developments according to the
seasons and buyer requirements • Taking care of samples
Quality and ensuring all the details are as per
requirement. • Alerting the client for any possible /
impossible detailing from production point of view. • Costing
of products as per the targets given by client. • Follow up
with the vendors to ensure that samples are carried out on
time. • Maintaining MIS reports to keep track on the sampling
process. • Follow up with vendors for photo samples, sales man
samples till production samples. SOURCING • Sourcing
the products selected by buyer with the targeted price
. • Cost price negotiation and confirmation with the vendors
as per budgeted parameters. • Confirmation of lead time
deliveries with the vendors as per fabric , style wise
etc. • Also Sourcing new products from suppliers & vendors
according to the season which is then forwarded
to buyer for their interest / selection . • Follow up with
vendors for new developments carried out on time. • Business
Development- o A ) Contacting new clients and increasing
business with existing clients. o B ) Sourcing new vendors of
trims and collaterals for better quality and cheapest price
. Merchandising & Production • Working on a time and
action system . • Chasing vendors and having weekly status
report on e-mail , telephone , or personal meeting for timely
submissions of labdips , Desklooms , fit samples , Pre-production
samples . • Checking the submissions at our end and taking a
call if anything is not up to the mark / requirement.
• Forwarding the submissions to buyer with comments /
explaining the production possibilities. • Chasing buyer for
timely approval and ensuring the comments if any to be followed
for bulk . • Working on deleiveries with the vendors and
ensuring buyer on the timely deliveries. • Closely involved
with production team at each and every step for aesthetic point
of view. • Taking decisions within the given understood
parameters to clear the shipments. • Working with closely with
vendors from the time of order placement till shipment stage.
• Co-coordinating with Quality assurance team to ensure the
team strives to attain the best quality level (
AQL – 1 ) in inspections etc. • Checking timely status of
production for each order with the QC Dept. • Checking Mid /
Final inspection reports and visiting for online inspections for
100% quality assurance.
Design & Merchandising Assistant at Rupam Exports , Mumbai, INDIA
January 2002 – January 2004
Designation Apparel Merchandiser
The main Part of the
Business is Men’s Casual Shirts. UK Importers / Buyers -
Juice Corp. , S & P Casuals , Rajan Imports , SRG Imports. USA
Importers/ Buyers – Dragonfly , Digital Wear , Opium ( Mexico
) , Woods & Gray , ( Whispering Smith ) , 7 Diamonds. My
Job Responsibilities .: o Direct Correspondence with the
buyers through E-mail/Fax/Telephone o Follow ups with vendors &
weekly Status reports submission to buyers o Approvals of
labdips,fabrics, embroideries etc o Approval of Protos, & PP
samples o Organizing for trims o Ensuring all proto samples,
salesman samples, approvals, etc matches buyers o requirements &
their timely deliveries. o Production planning + Issuing fabric
+ Production follow up + Co-ordination with Documentation
dept. o Co-ordination with the fabric dept. from sampling
approvals on strike offs, lab dips,To finished
fabrics. o Organization & approval of all types of trims from
labels to buttons. o Emb approvals for design , color, technique
& placement. o Weekly action plan & follow up to ensure timely
deliveries. o Controlling all the procedures during
production Participated in a Garment Fair held in Koln-Germany
in August-2002 , with Managing Director of the Organization.
Business is Men’s Casual Shirts. UK Importers / Buyers -
Juice Corp. , S & P Casuals , Rajan Imports , SRG Imports. USA
Importers/ Buyers – Dragonfly , Digital Wear , Opium ( Mexico
) , Woods & Gray , ( Whispering Smith ) , 7 Diamonds. My
Job Responsibilities .: o Direct Correspondence with the
buyers through E-mail/Fax/Telephone o Follow ups with vendors &
weekly Status reports submission to buyers o Approvals of
labdips,fabrics, embroideries etc o Approval of Protos, & PP
samples o Organizing for trims o Ensuring all proto samples,
salesman samples, approvals, etc matches buyers o requirements &
their timely deliveries. o Production planning + Issuing fabric
+ Production follow up + Co-ordination with Documentation
dept. o Co-ordination with the fabric dept. from sampling
approvals on strike offs, lab dips,To finished
fabrics. o Organization & approval of all types of trims from
labels to buttons. o Emb approvals for design , color, technique
& placement. o Weekly action plan & follow up to ensure timely
deliveries. o Controlling all the procedures during
production Participated in a Garment Fair held in Koln-Germany
in August-2002 , with Managing Director of the Organization.
Ashok Swami Swami ’s education
PG Diploma [Retail Management],
IBMS - UK [Currently,Studying]
, Mumbai, INDIA
Ashok Swami Swami ’s additional information
Interests:
• Loves Travelling at different places.
• Loves football .
• Interacting with people and making Contacts.
• Listening to music
• Always Open to Learn new things.
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