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Roberta Demesko

Fashion marketing and management professor

Education

  • M.B.A., business, SDA Bocconi School of Management
  • B.A., art history, Pomona College

Credentials

  • Professor of fashion marketing and management, Winter 2020–present, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
  • Europe buying director men's women's – shoes, leathergoods, RTW (retail, Ecom, outlet), September 2016–2020
    Expanded role to apply winning strategies to men's business categories, with a focus on shoes and LLG. Provided oversight of additional channels of Ecom and outlet for 360-degree "omni-channel" approach. Formed strategy based on transfer of retail channel successes and identified commercial opportunities to grow business through stronger cross selling. Full price WSH sales increased +8% in 2016 together with increase in ST of +3ppt vs PY. Full price WSH continued to increase +31 % in 2017 with further increase in ST of +5.5ppt vs PY. Full price WLLG also improved +6% in 2017 with increase in ST of 3.4ppt vs PY. Experienced immediate success in special production of retail best seller LLG -N.1 best seller in outlet channel. Managed a team of two buyers, business planner, and two assistants. Collaborated closely with production teams to highlight potential quality and materials issues. Followed up on new collection deliveries with merchandisers/logistics prioritized by theme, store. Collaborated with PR and marketing teams to coordinate key items for push to bloggers and digital media channels. Selected key items for gifting to influencers to create content for social media.

    Women's retail merchandising manager Europe – RTW, leathergoods, shoes, bijoux, May 2015–August 2016, Bally, Lugano, Switzerland
    Identified and invested in advance of other regions the N.1 WW best seller shoe (Janelle). Janelle flat shoe with hardware generated 45% of women's shoes; 3% of total sales all categories. Success of Janelle in retail created acceleration in wholesale channel with new accounts.

  • WW merchandising product manager – leathergoods and women’s shoes, January 2014–May 2015, Robero Cavalli, Florence, Italy
    Developed WW seasonal product grids for design team with focus on image and commercial opportunities; ensured development of necessary functions based on WW needs. Collaborated with design team to identify key collection themes for further development. Defined the number of models/materials for collection efficiency based on sales forecasts. Elaborated on themes with number of materials and colors based on total sku count targets. Selected material/color for sample showroom collection with commercial openings for orders. Focused on improved product quality with strong brand identification from design. Selected materials based on cost estimates and attendance at industry fairs. Developed reporting tools to accurately measure business and plan future actions. Managed a cross-functional team. Defined pricing and costing by style with follow up during the entire product development process to reach appropriate retail prices targets. Developed new visual display tools to maximize impact of accessories in store. Provided wholesale client management for key accounts with seasonal showroom meetings. Reviewed and managed of regional buyers' seasonal selections and showroom orders
  • WW merchandising product manager – women’s shoes, July 2010–December 2013
    Developed WW seasonal product grids for design team with focus on both image and commercial opportunities. Defined the number of models/materials for collection efficiency based on sales forecasts. Elaborated on themes with number of materials and colors based on sku count targets. Collaborated with design team to identify styles for the development of key collection themes. Coordinated collection launch by accessory, material/colour with other categories. Developed retail price for each collection considering target flow thru margin and currency exchange rates. Provided seasonal competitor analysis for style trends and pricing. Approved and provided feedback on regional budget and sales forecasts. Coordinated of regional product selection and delivery priorities to ensure coherent WW image. Prepared central bulk orders for main collections. Prepared all WW training materials and product presentations. Presented seasonal collections. Executed of sales analysis for both sell-in and sell-out for all periodic management reporting.
  • European merchandising buyer, Europe direct retail stores (men's and ladies' shoes), May 2009–July 2010
    Identified and invested in advance of other regions the N.1 WW best seller shoe (Janelle). Janelle flat shoe with hardware generated 45% of women's shoes; 3% of total sales all categories. Success of Janelle in retail created acceleration in wholesale channel with new accounts, i.e., Selfridges London. Provided strategic input on collection development to balance collections by function, material, and color palette.
  • European merchandising buyer, Europe direct retail stores (jewelry, watches), January 2007–May 2009
    Provided sales analysis and product stock management vs OTB and budget. Selected product assortment by region, country, location. Coordinated with logistics office to allocate and ship product by priority. Provided continuous valuation of product orders in relation to open-to-buy and sales. Provided competitor analysis and analysis of potential market opportunities vs. competitors. Provided markdown management, valuation of markdown, and insertion on regional price systems.
  • Account manager, UK jewelry distribution, April 2006–January 2007
    Made client visits to both multiples and independent clients to analyze pre-existing market position. Identified closure point-of-sales and new potentials to increase perceived level of brand. Managed payment conditions and blocked clients together with credit manager. UK market represented approximately 25% of total European distribution. Planned showrooms, trunk shows, and co-op adverts.
  • Junior account manager, Europe and Middle East jewelry distribution, May 2005–March 2006
    Supported selected existing distribution clients: Greece and Russia. Developed opening order and provided support for new market openings in Jordan, Turkey, Portugal, and Dubai. Temporary managed of German and Austrian clients. Provided ongoing client management of Duty Free Galleria (Asia). Prospected and opened Belgium. Provided client support through training and POS staff, assistance with visual merchandising.
  • Business operations/sales analyst, Europe and North America, jewelry distribution, December 2003–April 2005
    Provided sales analysis with multiple levels of detail by country, client, product, etc. Prepared annual sales budget with historical data analysis and graphical presentation. Forecasted new collection sales by market for category and price range. Evaluated client purchase offers considering production cost, margins, exchange rates.
  • Assistant buyer, DOS Europe, jewelry, watches, sunglasses, gift/home, perfume, March 2003–November 2003, Guccio Gucci, Florence, Italy
    Provided sell-out and inventory analysis to measure best sellers and overall regional sales differences. Communicated and prepared technical information sheets for DOS staff.