How The Vertical Collective is Disrupting Fashion Manufacturing Ep. 39

Fascinating Entrepreneurs

Katherine Zabloudil is co-founder of The Vertical Collective, a manufacturing firm that specializes in product design and accelerated development with brands and retailers of all kinds. Established in 2015 with partner, Morgaine McGee, their mission is to create high end products by intersecting their expertise in fashion with the product development business. As a leader in apparel industry with over 17 years of experience, Katherine has developed strategic alliances with key designers across platforms, international distribution networks, and global sourcing partners.

Prior to co-founding The Vertical Collective, Katherine was hired as Vice President of Design at leading retail subscription company JustFab. While there, Katherine oversaw the vertical integration of the entire organization, bringing all design in-house. She successfully built an extensive and talented design and development team, and oversaw all divisions of footwear, handbags and apparel design. During this time, JustFab tripled its net revenue, turning a profit by Q2 of 2015.

In 2010, Katherine launched her own collection of luxury loungewear and accessories called C.Z. Falconer, which quickly found distribution in over 150 retail locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. While running C.Z. Falconer, Katherine continued to consult with a variety of brands including Guess, JustFab and Charles David, where she eventually acquired handbag rights from him to start her own collection.

Prior to that, Katherine took a job as Fashion Director for Guess Handbags. She was instrumental in reinvigorating the brand by initiating a new merchandising process that extended the reach of the global Guess customer from basic to fashion forward. The

success of these initiatives was instrumental in growing Guess’s top line revenue from $200MM to $450MM over the course of her tenure. In addition, Katherine has held positions at top fashion brands, including Kate Spade, Coach and Ralph Lauren.

Most recently, Katherine and Morgaine added a division to their global manufacturing services firm to include a medical supplies vertical, becoming instrumental in sourcing and manufacturing badly needed PPE for Federal and State Government programs as well as the US Healthcare system.

She recently has relocated to the San Diego area with her husband and two children, expanding the business as well. Katherine when not in the office is active in art curation, philanthropy, and spending time with her family.

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Morgaine McGee is Co-Founder of The Vertical Collective, a manufacturing firm that specializes in product design and accelerated development, working with brands and retailers of all industries. Through her passion and history in sourcing, she has cultivated a strong network of designers, developers and global partners.

McGee is a fashion industry leader with experience overseeing design, development, production and global distribution initiatives for major US and European companies. With over 20 years of experience in apparel and accessories, McGee is a respected Consultant in the industry, having lectured at the London College of Fashion, and appearing as a guest commentator on Bloomberg.

Prior to founding The Vertical Collective, McGee worked as Vice President of Product Development & Managing Director at Signal Brands, where she liaised between the Italian design and the US sales and merchandising teams for prominent brands like Guess, Splendid, Trina Turk and BCBG. While at Signal, she built and led a world class material sourcing and development team, and in one year grew export by $50MM.

McGee began her career at RT Sourcing USA working on design and product development for multiple luxury global brands including Dior, Chanel and Givenchy. After a few years, she identified the need to bridge the gap and streamline the design and development process. She was promoted to their Hong Kong office where she opened a sample room in Southern China to manage development and sourcing. McGee’s experience and keen eye was in place to ensure the interpretation of design and quality for key clientele was met.

McGee attended the Parsons School of Design. She currently resides in Hong Kong with her husband.

Where to Find The Vertical Collective

• Website: https://www.theverticalcollective.com/
• Instagram: @theverticalcollective
• Facebook: The Vertical Collective
• LinkedIn: The Vertical Collective

SPONSOR

This episode is sponsored by Entire Productions- Creating events (both in-person and virtual) that don't suck! and Entire Productions Marketing- carefully curated premium gifting and branded promo items.

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