Michael Tomczak has spent more than two decades in the fashion industry, in London, San Francisco and New York, working for companies that include Avon, Levi’s, Reebok, Gitano, Austin Reed and John Lewis, one of Britain’s biggest department stores. He recently founded The Trend Factory Ltd, a design consultancy that serves clients who want to expand their existing fashion ranges and develop new product opportunities for their businesses.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Michael comes from a family of Italian dressmakers and tailors. After completing his high school education, he took an Applied Science degree course at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, during which he acquired an understanding of the principles of fashion retailing and merchandising. While in Rhode Island, he gained hands on experience of customer service by taking a part time position in a small boutique selling imported designer men’s and women’s fashion (regular clients included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and John F. Kennedy Jr, who was a student in Providence at the time).
In 1982, Michael was awarded one of just twenty places on the Menswear Design course at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. While at FIT, he attended workshops led by Yves Saint-Laurent, Tai and Rosita Missoni, Geoffrey Beene, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan and renowned French illustrator Erté. At this time, he also took up a position as a part-time studio assistant for knitwear designer Laura Pearson, who at the time was developing hand knits created in Ecuadorian villages for the high-end US market.
After graduating from FIT with honours in 1985, Michael worked in New York as a designer for Reebok and, later, Gitano, where he gained experience of working in China and Taiwan and had the opportunity of working with Herb Ritts, the American fashion photographer, who photographed Reebok’s first US catalogue featuring Michael’s signature stripe tennis polo.
In 1987, Michael moved to London to pursue a new life and new creative opportunities. After spending several years as a member of the design team at Design Intelligence, a trend forecasting studio that was one of the leading publications of the time, he returned to his first passion, retail, taking up a series of senior design management positions – at BHS in 1992, at Mervyn’s (part of the Target estate for the West Coast in California) in 1997 and at Levi’s in 1999. While in these positions, Michael deployed his design talents through a range of specialist functions, from fashion designer and retail merchant to trend forecaster and product developer, developing product ranges for these companies while helping their businesses to grow.
In 2001, Michael took up a consultancy post with The Bureaux, working with Austin Reed. In 2005, he was offered a position as head of the newly created Design Studio at John Lewis. In this role, he oversaw the John Lewis own brand men’s, women’s and children’s clothing ranges, identifying customer profiles, developing brand strategies and designing colour and trends for each range. Under Michael’s direction and creative vision, the design team delivered updated classic and contemporary ranges that put John Lewis on the high street fashion map, winning the Drapers Award for best fashion department store and best fashion on-line in November 2010. Recently Michael further added new skills and experience by taking the role of Executive Director Global Trend and Design for fashion and Home for one of the worlds biggest direct selling companies; Avon Cosmetics. He was immersed in the new BRIC economies and through his creative guidance and leadership has secured growth and sustained success in Jewellery, Intimate Apparel and Home categories. Michael now has strong confidence in understanding the diverse customers and retail business’s of Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Asia Pacific and Eastern Europe.
Michael’s achievements also include:
Press coverage in many Latin American fashion publications, blogs and TV appearance on ‘10 Years Younger’ (commented on SS07 key catwalk trends and high street looks for January 2007 programme)
Appearance on ‘Trinny and Susanna Undress the Nation’, 2008 (commented on Menswear trend and shopping habits for makeover show)
Royal Society of the Arts judge and project setter in conjunction with JLP
FAD (Fashion Awareness Direct) judge
Metropolitan Home Magazine Winner for Best Kitchen Design featured in January 1998
Designed and building an eco house in France
Consulted, in a charitable capacity, with Oxfam Cambodia
Have extensive training in coaching, mentoring, performance management, and media training
London Light House – Terrance Higgins Trust
Buddy and Emotional support volunteer, 1989- 1997, 2001-2006
He lives between his homes in London and the South of France.
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