Sue Kagan is an international technical design specialist and fit consultant known for her acute ability to define the right fit for the brand. Ms. Kagan’s diverse and experienced understanding of the design through production approval process is coupled with a proven track record of helping garment manufactures and retailers become more profitable and efficient. Her passion for keeping up with the newest PLM technology and best practices keeps her on the leading edge of global fit solution providers.

Starting her career in San Francisco as a patternmaker for Esprit working with designer and co-owner Jane Tise, Sue was a key component in helping Esprit produce the top selling junior dresses nationwide. In an effort to improve overseas production quality, she was the first technical person sent to the Hong Kong and Indian Esprit offices to work directly with the current Chairman and part owner of Esprit Asia and Europe, Michel Ying. The changes implemented by Ms. Kagan in the garment approval process helped move Esprit into the 2billon dollar business it became in the 1980s. Sue went on to produce top sellers for the highly influential California based contemporary dress house Karen Alexander. While living and working in Paris France she taught patternmaking and senior studio draping at Parsons School of Design. She fulfilled a life long dream when she was invited to work in the heart of the French haut couture world for Olivier Lapidus as the first draper for Olivier’s 1989 Autumn-Winter Pret a Porter De Luxe collection. Her talented draping skills and

natural leadership abilities were so respected by Olivier, he made her the head of his designstudio. Since making her home in the New York area 18 years ago, Sue has worked with garment industry giants including Liz Claiborne, LandsEnd, Talbots, Ann Taylor, Geoffrey Beene and Brooks Brothers as a Director of Manufacturing or as a Director of Technical Design. In 2007 Franc James the co-founder of PBS tapped Sue to partner with him in establishing, for the first time in India, a fully functioning Technical Design Department, and to develop brand specific proprietary fit for a new family oriented retail brand launch owned by Madura Garments Ltd. a division of Aditya Birla Group. This task highlighted the entrepreneurial project management agility that sets Sue apart from others in her field.

Sue’s experience and teaching skills relating to fit: garment construction, sizing, grading, tech pack implementation, factory communication and most importantly the garment approval process have made her consulting services highly sought after by important manufactures and retailers, including New Balance, Appleseed’s, Ellesse and Nautica. In the fit room her energy and focus simplifies the often confusing and difficult process of correcting garments for balance and fit while preserving the design intent. According to Patrick Robinson, who Sue taught at Parson, now the Executive VP of Design at Gap, the process of how a garment is approved for production is considered so important to the success of the brand that it is kept confidential. It is in this arena that Sue Kagan truly excels.