Merchandising · Trend · Keynote Speaking · Go-To-Market

Mia Sun
Francis

Product, Merchandising & Trend Strategist · Keynote Speaker

Fifteen years turning consumer insight into assortments that sell — leading global merchandising, trend and color strategy, product creation, and go-to-market for TOMS, Ariat, K-Swiss, and Skechers. Now also founder of Goldy's West, a modern Western lifestyle brand.

Known professionally as Kimia Francis in footwear & product · Mia Sun on stage and screen

View case studies Work with me
Work featured in

Case Studies

01 — Five years of brand strategy · Full decks in the vault
CS—01
SIGNAL RED
K-Swiss · Collaborations & Energy Drivers

Rebuilding brand heat through culture

Built the workflow for K-Swiss' collaborations and quick-strike program, then used it to land partnerships across fashion, motorsport, sport, gaming, and entertainment — Willy Chavarria, McLaren Formula 1, Venus Williams, Rowing Blazers, Lil Jupiterr, an esports performance sneaker with Immortals Gaming Club, a Breaking Bad capsule, and a 150K-unit Forever 21 apparel program. Quick-strike drops like the Blue Leopard tennis pack re-opened doors at Zappos and Nordstrom Online.

Collab StrategyQuick-StrikeLicensingGTM
150K unitsForever 21 · 447 doors
6 major press hitsHypebeast → LA Times
Full case study →
CS—02
GLACIER 14-4318
K-Swiss · Match Rival · FW21

From product brief to global adoption

Authored the original brief for the Match Rival — a retro-tennis "tech-prep" runner at an entry-mid price point — defining the target consumer, materials direction, construction, and account strategy, then carried it through development to a globally adopted introduction including a Sustainability Pack colorway story.

Product BriefConsumer TargetingMaterialsSustainability
Globally adoptedFW21 introduction
Brief → shelfFull lifecycle ownership
Full case study →
CS—03
WESTERN CLAY
Ariat · Senior Product Merchandiser, Western Footwear

Merchandising the West, from the field up

Owned seasonal assortment architecture, pricing, SKU creation, and commercialization for Western Casual footwear across Men's, Women's, and Kids. Grounded the strategy in original fieldwork — a four-market Consumer Mindset study (Aspen, North Platte, Decatur, Tempe) and WESA/Texas Market research spanning retailers from NRS and Teskey's to Lucchese and Hermès — then presented the Spring '26 line review and Fall '26 prototype strategy to 100+ executive and cross-functional stakeholders.

Assortment ArchitecturePricingConsumer ResearchCentric PLM · SAP
100+ stakeholdersSpring '26 line review
4 personasField-built, 4 markets
Full case study →
CS—04
COURT NAVY
TOMS · Senior Merchandising Manager — Men's, Kids & Special Projects

Growth through trend & sustainability

Led global merchandising for Men's, Kids, and Special Projects — driving 26% year-over-year growth in the EMEA Men's business, expanding TRVL Lite technology into new categories, and increasing the sustainable assortment 39% while improving profitability. Includes the TRVL Companion concept: a Gen-Z persona, sustainable material systems (enzyme-washed canvas, Bloom foam, recycled rubber), a full TPG color architecture, and a competitive set benchmarked from Everlane to Filling Pieces.

Global MerchandisingTrend NarrativeSustainable MaterialsColor Architecture
+26% YoYEMEA Men's business
+39%Sustainable assortment
Full case study →
CS—05
LUXURY GLACIER
Tammy Crawford Group · Brand Repositioning & Operations

Scaling a boutique real estate brand

Transformed a boutique Santa Clarita real estate agency into a luxury-positioned, community-focused brand and operationally scalable team. Full ownership of brand strategy, visual identity, social content, and all client-facing and internal collateral. Rebuilt the entire agent onboarding infrastructure: authored an 85-page agent onboarding workbook that systematizes training and culture integration — a critical asset for scaling. Built dual-layer client education: a 35-page "Guide to Buying a Home" lead magnet and a 27-page "Home Buyer Presentation" for client meetings. Managed full social media strategy across Instagram and Facebook, with all supporting presentation decks and operational systems.

Brand StrategyOperational SystemsContent StrategyCanva DesignVideo Production
77% reach growthInstagram · 6 months
100% engagement liftCross-platform
85-page onboardingScalable ops system
Case study →

On Camera & Stage

02 — Keynote speaker · Trend video pioneer · Brand spokesperson

As a pioneering trend director at Northstar (2014–2017), I created the first trend video presentations for major footwear brands including Skechers, Roxy, DC, Quicksilver, Billabong, Amazon, Payless, and Nordstrom — a format that was entirely new to the industry. Nike designers later confirmed they had never seen trend presentations delivered this way. Today, keynote speaking and trend video are central to how I communicate strategy: presentations that stick with audiences and get referenced years later.

About K-SwissBrand storytelling · 2:11
CR-329 Lil Jupiterr UnboxingProduct launch content · 1:30

Career

03 — Premium brands · Private label · Licensing · Sourcing
2024 — Present

Founder & Creative Director

Goldy's West · Los Angeles

Founded a modern Western lifestyle retail brand spanning e-commerce and experiential retail. Own the full stack — brand strategy, merchandising, sourcing, marketing, social, events, inventory, POS, and financial planning — with partnerships including Melrose Trading Post and the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival. Also serve as Treasurer and founding board member of the Western Crown Rodeo Association, a 501(c)(3) supporting youth rodeo and Western heritage.

Jan — May 2024

Senior Product Merchandiser, Western Footwear

Ariat International

Led global merchandising strategy for Western Casual footwear across Men's, Women's, and Kids — owning seasonal assortment architecture, pricing, SKU creation, and commercialization in Centric PLM and SAP. Presented the Spring '26 line review and Fall '26 prototype strategy to 100+ executive and cross-functional stakeholders in support of continued double-digit growth.

2022 — 2024

Senior Merchandising Manager — Men's, Kids & Special Projects

TOMS Shoes

Led global merchandising strategy across a significant portion of the global assortment. Drove 26% year-over-year growth in the EMEA Men's business, expanded TRVL Lite technology into new categories, and increased the sustainable assortment 39% while improving profitability — presenting seasonal strategy and line reviews to executive leadership and global sales teams.

2017 — 2022

Global Product & Trend Manager / Senior Designer

K-Swiss Global Brands · Los Angeles

Directed global color, materials, and trend strategy while managing Tier 0–2 product — 200–225 SKUs per season — and leading collaborations including McLaren Formula 1, Venus Williams, Rowing Blazers, Willy Chavarria, and Lil Jupiterr. Presented seasonal strategies at global sales conferences; selected for the Executive Management Mentorship Program and elected Culture Committee Chair.

2014 — 2017

Kids Product Manager & Global Trend Director

Northstar Sourcing Group · El Segundo

Led cross-functional product strategy for Skechers Kids generating approximately $16M in additional revenue, while developing trend and consumer-insight presentations for major global brands including Skechers, Quiksilver, Roxy, and Billabong. Built footwear materials libraries across Los Angeles, Leeds, and Dongguan offices.

2011 — 2014

Business Development Manager

Sunrise Brands, LLC · Los Angeles

Built a new tech-inspired accessories division within a private-label apparel company, driving 300% revenue growth in two years ($6.0M+ global sales) and managing the Skechers accessories license across distribution to 42 countries.

Education

B.B.A. International Business, Minor in Spanish

University of Memphis · MBA (Finance) coursework

Executive Management Mentorship Program (K-Swiss). Frequent keynote speaker and executive presenter.

04 — About

The strategist behind the spec sheet

I've spent my career at the intersection of trend and commerce — reading culture early, translating it into color, material, merchandising, and product decisions, and carrying those decisions all the way through development and go-to-market. My path runs the full width of the industry: premium brands to private label to licensing to sourcing — and now founding, with Goldy's West, my own modern Western lifestyle brand.

A note on names, since my career spans a few: I built my early fashion career as Kimia Sun, my footwear and product work — and the press that came with it — as Kimia Francis, and my work on stage and screen as Mia Sun. Today it all lives here, under Mia Sun Francis.

That performance background isn't a side note: it's why I'm the one keynoting trend and product strategy in ways that stick with audiences, presenting line reviews to rooms of 100+, serving as brand spokesperson on camera, and producing the trend videos themselves. The presentations people remember and bring up years later — that's the work I do.

Portfolio Vault

05 — Private access

The case studies above are the public sample. The vault holds the complete decks — full product briefs, trend presentations, consumer research, and private client work — shared with recruiters, hiring teams, and prospective clients on request.

Inside the vault

Complete case study decks

Original product briefs, full color and materials architecture, consumer mindset research, market trip reports, and press portfolio — the working documents behind each project.

Private client work

Select engagements

Fifteen years of private commissions alongside brand roles — including brand marketing, presentation design, and operational training systems for a real-estate group. Additional confidential engagements are available to discuss under NDA.

Request access Enter with password ⌀ Access granted by email · typically within 24 hours

Let's Talk

06 — Two ways to work together
For brands & teams

Freelance & consulting

Trend forecasting, seasonal color and material direction, product briefs, consumer research, and go-to-market strategy — available for project-based and ongoing remote engagements.

Start a project
For recruiters & hiring teams

Trend, color & product leadership

Open to conversations about trend direction, color & materials, and creative product management roles. Resume, references, and full portfolio available on request.

Get in touch

E: miasunfrancis@gmail.com  ·  linkedin.com/in/kimiafrancis  ·  IG: @miasunfrancis