Paula ZANGER
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: HOME & GIFT PRODUCTS

• Creator of many best selling home and gift products both luxury and mass markets.
• Supervised all phases of product development from initial presentation to final product, encompassing textiles, bedding, tabletop, wallpaper, stationery and decorative accessories.
• Strong fashion background with expertise in organics, color, surface design, aesthetic sensibility and understanding of licensing, marketing and editorial in the marketplace.

WORK EXPERIENCE:  2008
    Lunt Silversmiths - Creative Director:  New York (April 2008 – Present)

• Overall Brand Direction:  Packaging, P.R. Strategy, New Business Development
• Product Development and Design:  Establishing concepts for Lunt Core and Baby Lunt
• Licensee Relations:  Disney, New York Botanical Garden, MFA – Boston, Eric Carle

Robert Bentley Gemstones: Wholesale Colored Gemstones (May 2007 – March 2008)

• Office Manager, Vendor Imports & Customer Relations, Trade Shows and Sales 

Orange HOWELL Gift Brand: Limited Edition Silver New York (Present)

• Designed Gift Products, Developed Business Model, Marketing Concepts, Brand Image

Consulting: 2005 - 2007
Whole Foods Market  (Winter 2006 – Spring 2007)

• Product Development & Design Consultant for Whole Living Lifestyle Brand
• Produced Presentations:  Vendor Guide, Color Palettes, Competitive Market Analysis

Vera Wang New York (Summer/Fall 2006)

• Creative Concepts Branded Design:  Gift Collection for Bridal and Classic Gifts

Lenox Inc. New York (Fall 2005/Winter 2007)

• Designed Private Label Collections:  Holiday, Gift, Wedding Dinnerware

Gerson Lehrman Group and The Discovery Channel Store

• Consultant to Retail Brands for investment potential and product relevance

PREVIOUS WORK EXPERIENCE
DESIGN DIRECTOR:  Royal Velvet / Group 3 Design - New York (2004)

• Responsible for Home Brand creative content, all licenses and trend/traditional concepts

LICENSING/CONTRACTS
GLASS:  Rosenthal USA - New York (2000 - 2003) 

• Initiated presentation, received commission for glass collection for Federated Stores.

TABLETOP:  Sasaki - New York (1991 - 2004) 

• Designed the best selling “Palazzo” dinnerware, initiated casual dinnerware lifestyle. 
• Breaking sales records for contemporary patterns (7 million wholesale).
• Conceived, designed, and executed ongoing china and glassware collections as a licensed agreement annually beginning in 1991.

STATIONERY:  C.R.Gibson - Nashville, TN  (1999 - 2005)

• Envisioned 4 best selling collections (Everyday, Holiday, Wedding) (4 million wholesale).

BATH:  Creative Bath, Barth & Dreyfuss - New York  (2001- 2004)  

• Designed bath hard and soft product samples for private label for mass retailers.

WALLPAPER:  Imperial (IHDG) - Cleveland, OH  (1998 - 2002)

• Responsible for all phases of development from design concept to “record time” onsite production of award winning Villa Collection Wallpaper Book  (4 million wholesale).

                          
HOUSEWARES:  Sakura - New York (1998 - 2000) 

• Upgraded mass-market boxed dinnerware, eight patterns.

TEXTILES:  P. Kaufmann - New York (1997 - 2000) 

• Produced and created textiles for Nouveau Collection.

BEDDING: Westpoint,Wamsutta/Springmaid - New York (1993 - 1996)

• Translated and produced ABC luxury bedding collection for Martex Atelier (Israel). 
• Created and produced “Natural Muslin” and six other mass bedding collections.

ABC Carpet & Home/ Fellisimo - New York (1992 - 1996) 

• Responsible for all phases of design, development, direct marketing and distribution of luxury silk home collections of bedding and decorative products.

    RETAIL:  SOFA SOMA - New York (1986 - 1992) Boutique Co-owner. 
Specializing in exclusive hand-printed textiles and home products for interior designers, architects and luxury retailers.  Foray into licensing.

• Barneys New York:  Four Decorative Home Collections. Advertising 1991-1992 
• Furniture of the 20th Century:  Collection of printed silk.  ICFF 1990, 1991
• The Brooklyn Museum:  Permanent Collection of Decorative Arts, 1992

Staff Designer (1984 - 1987), Freelance Designer/Production (1988 - 1994)

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

• Advisory Board: First Book – East Harlem, NY Present
• Advisory Board: Textiles, Fashion Institute of Technology, NY, NY Present
• Board of Visitors Member, UW-Madison: School of Human Ecology, 2003 - Present
• Savannah College of Art and Design:  “Working Class” Guest Designer, 2003
• Parsons School of Design and F.I.T: Instructor - Textile Design, 1991 - 1996
• University of Wisconsin - Madison: 1984, B.S. Environ. Textile Design, Dean's List
• Fashion Institute of Technology, NY, NY, 1984, A.A.S., Textile Design, Dean's List

Visuals available @ ZANGER.com / References Available Upon Request