Lee Nguyen

About Lee Nguyen

I’m an industrial designer with 15+ years of experience creating both hard and soft goods, specializing in wearables, technical gear, and human-centered solutions. I turn insights into purposeful products—balancing refined aesthetics with real-world performance. work spans from concept to production, supported by hands-on experience in global manufacturing and two years in Korea leading design, development, and quality standards. With a background in psychobiology from UCLA and a B.S. in Industrial Design from ArtCenter, I bring a research-driven approach that’s as thoughtful as it is functional. Whether it’s gear built for extreme environments or devices that integrate seamlessly into daily life, I design for impact, longevity, and user delight.

Experience

1. Development Manager

   Blackstrap

   Dec 2024 — Present · Bend, OR, US

   Directed end-to-end product development for a rapidly expanding seasonal calendar, currently managing concurrent cycles for SS27 and FW27 while driving the execution of SS26 and FW26. Served as the technical lead and primary liaison between design, global manufacturing, and executive teams to navigate complex production timelines and margin goals- Global Manufacturing & Multi-Season Strategy: Led on-site international development across Asia and managed daily remote collaboration via global conference calls to synchronize design intent with factory capabilities, improving development efficiency by 60 days- Omnichannel Launch Execution: Orchestrated the SS26 product launch to meet critical shipping windows for retail and DTC programs, ensuring inventory readiness despite evolving seasonal requirements- Agile Scope Management: Managed high-velocity \"last-minute\" seasonal additions for FW25–26, successfully integrating new SKUs into the development pipeline and streamlining vendor communication to mitigate production delays- Cost Engineering & Margin Optimization: Executed rigorous cost engineering and material negotiations to meet aggressive brand margin targets while maintaining high-performance product standards- Production Readiness: Transformed conceptual designs into comprehensive, production-ready tech packs, defining complex BOMs, specialized construction details, and assembly requirements for global scalability- Strategic Material Sourcing: Built and managed relationships with a global network of material suppliers, scouting and vetting new vendors to align with performance requirements and scalability needs.

Education

• ArtCenter College of Design

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Product Design

• INSEAD

  MBA Exhange Program., Business Management, Product Design and Development. Fontainebleau, France

• North Carolina State University

  Certificate, Textile Fundamentals online course

• UCLA

  Bachelor of Science, Psychobiology

Skills

• Product Design
• Strategic Design
• Concept Development
• Sketching
• Rendering
• User-Centered Design
• Product Development
• Design Management
• Rapid Prototyping
• Alias Studio Tools
• Solidworks
• Illustration
• Hypershot
• Packaging
• Storyboarding
• Design Strategy
• Industrial Design
• Design Thinking
• Illustrator
• Concept Design
• Photoshop
• Adobe Illustrator
• Keyshot