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Collection Curator

Collection Curator

Pioneering new technology, and building digital IP for an industry laggard

Pioneering new technology, and building digital IP for an industry laggard

Product Design

Design Systems

Research & Strategy

BI Tools

Context

Context

Tapestry, like many large fashion companies operating a global business, is affected by a disconnected, largely autonomous organization. The result is high product churn, limited assortment analysis, inefficient SKU assortments, and an inflexible Product Development workflow.

In early 2021, we delivered a comprehensive review of tools, skills, and competencies at Tapestry, concluding that investment in digital tooling would enable Tapestry’s acceleration from a laggard to a leader.

My role

My role

Built and led a design team from initial concept pitch (0-1) to general availability.

Blended hands-on product design work with strategy and generative research programs to craft the platform, reaching mass adoption across global brands and functions.

Collection Curator, designed and built for Tapestry

Collection Curator, designed and built for Tapestry

But, if it ain't broke, why fix it?

Being underserved by technology leads to inefficient and inaccurate practices. Initial ethnographic and generative research studies, all pointed to the same outcome: underinvestment in people, tools, and technology was reducing our ability to compete with market leaders.

Elevated workforce attrition

Elevated attrition within the Merchant and Buying organizations was systematically removing critical knowledge from the business, driven by workload and the poor quality of tooling.

Limited tooling

Leaders accept highly manual and time-consuming processes as a natural part of their workflow.

Limited customer data

Users lack tools with integrated customer data, severely impacting their ability to plan strategically. Customer data points are often overlooked in favor of recency bias.

Human error

Human error is normalized and defined as part of the risk of doing business. Waterfall timelines drive inherent complexity when planning and collaborating across assortments.

Product Development Timeline, Coach, 2023

So let's go fix it.

Below are a few of the key features and approaches we implemented to create this vertically integrated, collaborative assortment planning platform, promoting greater collaboration and asynchronous assortment planning.

By creating a vertically-integrated, collaborative, assortment planning platform, interoperable with existing data systems. In service of promoting greater cross-functional collaboration, when planning, assorting and buying all future assortments across brands, asynchronously.

Primary metric

Increase the Style and SKU productivity rates across all main assortments.

Primary metric

Increase the Style and SKU productivity rates across all main assortments.

Secondary metric

Deliver a PDT reduction. Through optimzations, AI and SKU forecasting

Secondary metric

Deliver a PDT reduction. Through optimzations, AI and SKU forecasting

The devil is in the details–and all too often, the details are too dense and time too limited. Building multi-tiered assortment strategies requires clarity, time and space away from the chaos.

Creating interfaces that automatically order dense information into hierarchical groups while allowing for user-preferred customizations is like placing a pair of noise-cancelling headphones on. All of a sudden, trends and patterns come to life, and we can see the opportunity through the noise.

The devil is in the details–and all too often, the details are too dense and time too limited. Building multi-tiered assortment strategies requires clarity, time and space away from the chaos.

Creating interfaces that automatically order dense information into hierarchical groups while allowing for user-preferred customizations is like placing a pair of noise-cancelling headphones on. All of a sudden, trends and patterns come to life, and we can see the opportunity through the noise.

Customizable workspaces, allowing power-users bespoke data views

Assortments typically range from 300 to 800 SKUs, putting pressure on tools to be fast and easy to navigate whilst sustaining the users' attention as they crawl through hundreds of rows of data.

Crafting rich and contextual search experiences enables a switch from labor-intensive tasks to building strategic positions, preparing cohesive product narratives, and carrying out more meaningful analysis within assortments.

Assortments typically range from 300 to 800 SKUs, putting pressure on tools to be fast and easy to navigate whilst sustaining the users' attention as they crawl through hundreds of rows of data.

Crafting rich and contextual search experiences enables a switch from labor-intensive tasks to building strategic positions, preparing cohesive product narratives, and carrying out more meaningful analysis within assortments.

Supporting power user through context-aware keyboard shortcuts

Whether it's a trend, category, or silhouette, product stories are only as good as the narrator. Telling an evocative visual story is fundamental to the assortment building process, but it requires practice, patience, and flexible tools.

We closed the chapter on exclusive meetings that overemphasized the importance of in-person attendance, and moved toward inclusive streamed experiences, editable and versioned presentations, and tracked and accessible documentation to all team members regardless of level and geography.

Whether it's a trend, category, or silhouette, product stories are only as good as the narrator. Telling an evocative visual story is fundamental to the assortment building process, but it requires practice, patience, and flexible tools.

We closed the chapter on exclusive meetings that overemphasized the importance of in-person attendance, and moved toward inclusive streamed experiences, editable and versioned presentations, and tracked and accessible documentation to all team members regardless of level and geography.

Flexible data presentations, throughout the assortment

Hands up if you can see into the future? Me neither! And that's a problem when you're asked to buy huge volumes of inventory with ineffective and limited information.

Instead, blending early factory prototype images, style group photography, 3D modeling, and visually similar product performance better informs individual decision-making and provides clarity throughout all peer groups.

Hands up if you can see into the future? Me neither! And that's a problem when you're asked to buy huge volumes of inventory with ineffective and limited information.

Instead, blending early factory prototype images, style group photography, 3D modeling, and visually similar product performance better informs individual decision-making and provides clarity throughout all peer groups.

Detailed, granular product detail information, for every SKU

Cross-functional collaboration is fluid, with individual teams moving in different directions at different speeds. Optimizing for asynchronous, transparent workflows was our focus to reduce the PDT timeline.

We exposed decisions to all relevant users and our own algorithms to further train modeling predictions. This approach was done in an open and transparent way to foster conversations and aid future strategic prioritization.

Cross-functional collaboration is fluid, with individual teams moving in different directions at different speeds. Optimizing for asynchronous, transparent workflows was our focus to reduce the PDT timeline.

We exposed decisions to all relevant users and our own algorithms to further train modeling predictions. This approach was done in an open and transparent way to foster conversations and aid future strategic prioritization.

Assortment requests, directly on the platform, in the presentation view

96%

Collection coverage

44 hours

Saved per collection

+12.1%

Overall SKU Productivity

$3.81B

Total spend on platform

Want to learn more about Collection Curator, the strategy and positioning, and how the brands at Tapestry are using it – Let's chat

Want to learn more about Collection Curator, the strategy and positioning, and how the brands at Tapestry are using it – Let's chat

Want to learn more about Collection Curator, the strategy and positioning, and how the brands at Tapestry are using it – Let's chat

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