Karen Rasmussen

3357 North Summit Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53211

Contact: kkrasmussendesign@gmail.com 612-598-2721

Professional Summary

Highly experienced Brand Visionary, Product Design and Development Leader. Cultivator, recruiter, coach, mentor, dynamic team leader. Entrepreneurial, innovative thinker, with diversified leadership experiences exuding a passion for brand launches, redefines, and collaborative partnerships. Forger of authentic cross-functional relationships cultivating an original point-of-view, significant margin, and a prideful team.

Highlights

Seeing the Upside of Situations ~ Proactively Planning and Prioritizing ~ Engaging Team Members Developing and Coaching Others ~ Striving for High Personal Work Standards

What Others Say…

“Passionate and Compassionate. Lives an open, honest, integrated life. Leverages diverse set of interests, activities, energy dedications to bear a generosity of ideas/input. Always absorbing inspiration, highly selective, fearless. Passionate about big picture, but eye for detail. Meticulously creates and executes. Easily overcomes inertia. Actively demonstrates humility and enrolls experts.

Holds others accountable. Voices concerns. Momentum maintainer. Loves collaborating with revved up, forward thinkers.”

Brendon Dillon – VP of Merchandising / Design for Good, Target

“Passionate, ambitious, collaborative, authentic, guest-focused, trend leader”

John Conlin – SVP, Target Properties

Professional Experience

Liberty Mills Limited – remote (office/ mill in Karachi, Pakistan) 2/2023 – present

Director of Design Bedding – North America

Reporting into the COO: Leader of the Design and Product Development Team – in Karachi

• Lead the design team and vision for Liberty Mills, Limited, North American (with focus on Target).

o Trained the team on Target Brand Principles. Provide the team design leadership, training, and feedback. Create brainstorm sessions. Direct development macro trends. Identify white space opportunities. Create brand trends, color palette, print & pattern. Work with the mill to develop fabrics and finishes that bring innovation and quality while driving value. Present on-trend / brand-right product to Target customer.

• Create and present the Design POV, to the Target customer through each brands’ lens. 5/8: Dubai Sheets meeting. 5/15 Minneapolis Baby Bedding Meeting.

• Leveraged internal Target relationships in TSS and Design and utilized Target 18 ½ year experience to create success in this role.

• Visited Karachi to meet with team and work in mill / factory on C5 development. Provided real-time feedback and product revisions, worked with each designer to get to know them and their work. Met with Target TSS SVP: Seshu Anne to discuss new business strategy and steps associated.

KKRasmussen Design, LLC - Milwaukee, WI 1/2020 - Present

President / Founder of Design and Merchandising: KKRasmussen Design, LLC

Specialty Company focused on re-branding, re-designing, re-executing design vision to product categories. Team of: VP of Design and Merchandising, Sr. Designer, Sr. Graphic Designer, Sr. Textile Designer, Sr. Technical Designer. Specialize in women's and kids apparel, home, stationery, gift, party. Concept through execution.

• Currently working on brand / content re-design for a 220M women’s catalog company. Presented to Senior Leadership new brand positioning and identity. Directed design of 10 collections including concept, line plan, project management, art direction, technical design direction, collection silhouette designs, design reviews, fit sessions, communication with buyers and overseas, color & print approvals.

• Created and presented to EVP Design of a major brand: white space opportunity for newborn apparel. Completely inclusive and sustainable concepts and design of 6 “mini” collections.

Kohl’s Corporation – Milwaukee, WI 3/2018 - 11/2019

Design Director: Croft & Barrow Women’s Apparel

• Led the creative vision for new Croft & Barrow Brand Identity Project. Identified benchmark and aspirational brands to inform updated brand identity design aesthetics and attributes, as well as brand architecture.

• Created strategic development play to execute the reinvention of the Croft & Barrow Brand in all categories: sweaters, knits, wovens, and leisure, totaling over $300M annual sales. Successfully collaborated with merchant, product, and vendor leadership to ensure execution to create brand relevancy and address several years of declining sales.

• Led a team of eight talented designers. Assessed talent and structure to cultivate and re-deploy talent. Recruited critical roles, and elevated ready-to-promote talent to create properly balanced team structure. Cultivated talent through active Individual Development Plans and providing opportunities for visible learning and growth.

• Developed Successful Brand Concepts six times per year to present to Senior Leadership the seasonal direction through fabric, color, artwork, and silhouette direction serving as a critical roadmap for execution of creative vision.

Target Corporation - Minneapolis MN 1/2017 – 2/2018

“Exploratory Leader”: Selected by Jill Sando (Chief Merchandising Officer) to serve on a year-long project with other hand-picked Sr.

Leaders & Consultant Group Studio/E. Results to be presented to Brian Cornell and EVP Leaders:

▪ Purpose: How to Create more “NOBLE” product at Target. Define and Determine the “Value” of Social and Environmental Responsibility.

o Collaborated with fellow “Exploratory Leaders” and Studio E to scope goals, assess resources, enroll critical talent, create strategy, tactics, and deadlines necessary to deliver on more NOBLE product offering production practices in Home and Hardlines.

o Served as a critical conduit of information both internally with design, merchant, sourcing, and engineering teams, as well as external thinkers and experts. Personally presented “Design for Good” concept and lifestyle to CEO Brian Cornell and SVP / EVP Leaders.

o Result: Creation of Company awareness, goals, and methods to execute through Target Branded product.

Target Corporation - Minneapolis MN 1/2013 - 2/2018 Design Director: Spritz Stationery, Giftwrap, Party Supplies. Room Essentials / Threshold Home Office. Hand Made Modern crafting. Back-to-School Supplies: UP & UP and National Brand Differentiation

• Generated Design Vision and Leadership of Design Team for $1B in annual sales for product in the categories including giftwrap, party supplies, stationery, home office, school supplies, and modern crafting. Serve as the design leader / thinker / collaborator/ from design concept to product execution. Sales results significantly outpacing the organization with double digit competitive same stores sales year over year.

• Developed of Elevated Spritz brand Positioning and Product Offering. Led communication of vision with packaging, Marketing, Public Relations for cohesive external communication.

• Launched Target exclusive Hand Made Modern Brand design collaboration with esteemed designer Todd Oldham, to answer the adult modern crafting movement. Hugely successful internal / design partnership collaboration which created differentiated offering and established credibility in crafting supplies while delivering 65M annual sales.

• Led Design Vision and Style guide development for Target Back-to-School Supplies utilizing National Brand Vendors including Mead, 3M, Fiskars, as an extension of Internal Design Team, creating unique point-of-view while leveraging National Brands prestige and capabilities. Served as the spokesperson to marketing and PR agencies.

• Participated in guest-involved research project in modern home office guest behaviors, needs, and aesthetic desired Launch of Threshold Brand home office internally designed, elevated product and experience. Space doubled and sales exceeded 40% to plan.

Target Corporation - Minneapolis MN 2/2007 - 1/2013

Design Manager: Merona / Merona Collection RTW / Design Collaborations

• Led the re-define of the $840M in Annual Sales of the Merona Brand in Women’s Apparel in all categories including sweaters, knits, wovens, outerwear, swimwear, and managed nine designers. Drove brand repositioning and design vision: market analysis, brand conceptual color, print and pattern, and silhouette direction.

• Launched exclusive, elevated, best, offering of the Merona brand as Merona Collection upon the exit of the Isaac Mizrahi at Target. Sales of Merona Collection exceeded Isaac Mizrahi at 67M annually.

• Served as internal leadership in prestigious design collaborations including Calypso, Liberty of London, and Missoni. Interpreted Design House information into collections that could be executed internally while upholding each brands’ unique voice, integrity, and cache.

• Chosen by Senior Leadership to Co-Lead the first ever Product Development and Design Leadership Committee: focused on strengthening the voice of PD&D, developing design talent, and scoping impactful priorities.

• Guided Design Leadership and the Universities of Savannah College of Art and Design and University of Cincinnati in the recruitment process: presenting on behalf of Target PD&D and reviewing portfolios to recommend candidate interviews at Headquarters. Chosen to mentor role for over 30 team members.

Target Corporation - Minneapolis MN 7/1999 - 2/2007

Sr. Designer (Various Roles Including): Big Girl, Infant and Toddler, Newborn Circo and Cherokee

• Launched the Circo Brand in girls’ apparel from 12 months to 16 years: creating an overall brand vision, color palette, print & pattern direction, silhouette design that expresses this iconic 80M brand at Target. Presented to SVP leadership.

• Traveled to Europe and domestically for inspiration which was interpreted into design work. Visited offices and factories in China and Korea to interface with factories directly for vision execution.

• Led the Design vision and design team for 12M to 16Y in the Cherokee Brand for both boy and girl.

• Established the first design SWAT team / CFDA Apprenticeship at Target Corporation in PD&D to create a sense of tribe, aligning talent to necessary projects, a formalized project calendar, and collaborative team member assessment.

• Received SVP Award for Merchandising Innovation

Kmart Corporation- Troy, MI 6/1994 – 7/1999

Designer / Technical Designer / Assistant Technical Designer: Infant, Toddler, Big Kids Apparel

• Designed all internally sourced infant toddler girl apparel including Sesame Street collaboration.

• Created life-lasting relationships with merchant, design, and sourcing partnerships.

• Collaborated with design team on desired aesthetic, sourcing on cost implications to fit and quality expectations.

• Conducted Fittings and created garment specifications to be communicated to overseas offices and vendors.

Education & Awards

Michigan State University, East Lansing Michigan

Bachelor of Science – Apparel Design and Textiles 1993, 3.9 GPA

Recipient of Anna E. Bayha award for the “Unusual Ability in the Field of Apparel”