Leah Rama

Selected academic experience

• Professor of fashion, Fall 2022—present, SCADnow
  
  Fashion department visiting lecturer, 2019
  Served as the Fall 2019 visiting lecturer in Lacoste, France for the School of Fashion. Presented a formal lecture for 60+ students, spoke in design, merchandising, and fashion tech classes, and worked with students individually to help them develop their ideas and fulfill project goals.
  
  Alumni fashion mentor, 2017–18, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
  Served as the Alumni mentor for the School of Fashion during the fall and spring quarters. Presented a formal lecture for the School of Fashion, spoke in various classes, engaged in small group discussions, and served on the jury for the annual SCAD runway show, critiquing and styling student collections.
  
  Graduate teaching assistant, 2014, Advanced CAD, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
  Assisted graduate professor with lectures and grading, and helped graduate students correct patterns and successfully navigate Gerber Accumark during class and open office hours.

• Art instructor, 2012–13,  National Center for Children's Illustrated literature
  Taught art lessons for all ages based on the techniques, themes, and content of illustrated works on display in the NCCIL gallery. This thoughtful community-building program made fine art education accessible to the public.

• Art instructor, 2013, Kenley School
  Taught literature-based art lessons that demonstrated the elements and principles of design to students with learning disabilities as part of a short-term, grant-funded program. The students were able to understand and apply complex art concepts to their work and to other topics of study (mathematics, English, science). 

Selected professional experience

• Design direction and PD consultant, 2020–22, Cascabeia Studio
  Provided creative solutions for the fashion industry on a contractual basis. Clients range from established brands to fashion start-ups and private clients. Services included consultation on creative direction, design development, branding, line/product offering curation, technical advising, and public speaking.

• Designer, 2018–19, Michael Kors Women's Collections, New York
  Head of swimwear and shearling design. Additionally designed over 30% of women's woven garments (dresses, tops, jackets, coats, skirts, & pants), was responsible for technical design and fitting of these collection items, and collaborated on VIP projects. Managed Associate & Assistant Designers along with seasonal freelancers and interns.

• Associate designer, 2016–18, Michael Kors Women's Collections, New York
  Designed and developed woven garments from initial concept through production, working closely with Michael Kors and Lance LePere, factories, vendors, and internal teams (sales, PR, and production). Coordinated preparation and handling of the collection for runway shows and press presentations. Oversaw model go-sees, managed tailors and alterations, communicated with Betak, managed backstage areas and other logistics.

• Assistant textile designer, 2016, Michael Kors Women's Collections, New York
  Assisted the textile and prints team for Michael Kors Women's Collection as a full-time freelancer. Worked with fabric team to source, develop, and produce custom seasonal fabrics for the collection. Communicated regularly with textile mills to source new fabric qualities, negotiate pricing, ensure timely deliveries, and review lab-dips and strike-offs. Created print, pattern, and embellishment CADs in various colorways, developed presentation boards, and maintained archives.

• Outerwear design assistant, 2015–16, Karl Lagerfeld, New York
  Assisted the Karl Lagerfeld and Andrew Marc outerwear design teams as an intern and freelance assistant. Sketched technical flats for various categories of women's outerwear, updated specs, reviewed proto samples, provided notes in PLM, sourced fabrics and trims, facilitated communication with overseas manufacturers, and assisted with showroom presentations.

• Design assistant and specialist and program coordinator, 2015, Eileen Fisher, New York
  Supported the design team by creating tech flats and specs, researching relevant trends, and assisting the Creative Director in producing an internal trend guide. Edited line sheets and made sketch, fabric, and fitting changes in PLM. Concurrently served as interim Wholesale Specialist Program Coordinator, managing linesheets and orders for Eileen Fisher's nationwide Sales Specialists at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, Dillard's, and Macy's.

• Design operations assistant, 2015, Eileen Fisher, New York
  Continued working with the design team following an internship by supporting Line Operations on a temporary basis, helping to ensure line sheets are accurate, colors, styles, and CADS are correct and consistent through PLM and BlueCherry, and making necessary updates.