Scott Castillo

• Lead product design direction and multi-year product roadmap across all customer-facing products and experiences, aligning launch cadence with brand and retailer calendars; oversee company-wide design projects and a team of 4 designers.
• Delivered approximately $3.5M in direct product cost reductions and $1M in annual value-engineering savings.
• Maintain deep retail partnerships with major national accounts, engaging buyers, store leadership, and end consumers at trade shows including Las Vegas Market to translate market intelligence into product direction; partner with Consumer Insights to survey top purchasing customers and validate design decisions prior to commercialization.
• Cut physical sampling 45% YoY through 3D design tools and built a custom JavaScript-based PLM system in place of off-the-shelf software; reduced tooling spend ~$60K/year via Airtable workflows.
• Created brand-wide Visual Brand Language guides and the 11-step concept-to-completion stage-gate framework (“Tugboat/Speedboat”); serve as one of six company-wide NPI approvers, co-reviewing pipeline projects bi-weekly for margin, capacity, timing, and strategic fit. Co-Chair of the Mental & Physical Health ERG and Chair of the Engagement Committee.

• Developed creative and material direction for a defined brand segment, managing ~80 projects/year across fabric, pattern, color, and componentry from concept through commercialization.
• Managed supplier material procurement, cross-functional product development, material-level testing, and IP protection; built flawless supplier relationships grounded in transparency, clear communication, and deep technical fluency.

• Oversaw OshKosh B’gosh Boys Playwear, Baby, Denim, and WBO programs (~1,500 SKUs/year), delivering commercially viable product at a 99.6% on-time delivery rate.
• Managed all overseas RFQs/RFPs and production quality standards; expertise in SGS and Bureau Veritas testing and the Oeko-Tex certification process.
• Earlier scope across Exclusive Brands and Mass Channel: led Child of Mine (Walmart) and Target JOY baby and playwear lines, 500 to 800 SKUs/year.
• Co-chaired Carter’s SOP ERG, architecting and rolling out stage-gate process documentation across all PD functions company-wide; chaired GOALS Committee driving PD team KPIs and career development. Oversaw a team of 4.

• Led an in-house team and vendor partnership across footwear, handbags, jewelry, and cold-weather accessories (~10,000 SKUs/year), including international factory and mill training and vendor onboarding. Oversaw a team of 9.

• Owned the full product lifecycle (design, color, tech packs, costing, and vendor communication) for handbags, belts, hats, legwear, and gifting (~5,000 SKUs/year). Oversaw a team of 7.

Restore rare Mid-Century Modern furniture and casegoods; manage ~40 restoration projects per year generating ~$125K in annual revenue. Hands-on working knowledge of wood construction, joinery, upholstery methods, and finishing, directly applicable to durable goods manufacturing.

Built and maintain a specialized job board for textile and fashion creatives, self-taught JavaScript and developed the application and user-facing features end to end.

Progressed through technical design and pre-production roles across the Los Angeles apparel market, including Bailey Blue Clothing, Clothing for Modern Times, and Filati, developing knitwear technical specifications, leading fit sessions, and managing local vendor and mill production for wholesale accounts. Further detail available on request.