Kara Allen Lacayo

• Built and scaled Yitty from concept to a $50M+ brand in under three years, establishing a category-defining approach to inclusive shapewear, intimates, apparel, swim, loungewear, and lifestyle. • Architected the brand’s multi-category design ecosystem—leading end-to-end product, identity, and storytelling from concept through commercialization with both creative vision and strategic clarity. • Created Nearly Naked, Yitty’s most successful and viral product franchise—consistently featured in major media and social platforms, and a primary revenue driver across shapewear and intimates. • Delivered multiple top-performing, culturally resonant collections, including Pet Me loungewear, Shaping Swim, and viral lifestyle silhouettes that defined the brand’s commercial and cultural footprint. • Led high-impact cultural initiatives, including custom tour wardrobes and press looks for Lizzo, aligning product innovation with global brand storytelling and visibility. • Built and mentored a lean, high-performing design organization, setting standards for creative leadership, cross-functional partnership, and scalable growth.

• Led design across Intimates, Shapewear, Sleepwear, Active/Performance, and Loungewear for a $150M+ annual online business, shaping product for one of the most trusted and comprehensive plus-size apparel platforms. • Modernized a legacy, fit-driven brand—introducing fresh concepts in color, print, silhouette, and performance that expanded appeal to younger consumers while retaining loyalty from the core customer. • Reinvigorated legacy categories by evolving fit, aesthetics, and performance, creating new hero styles that remain in the assortment years later. • Directed highly technical product development within a complex plus-size fit environment, partnering closely with tech design and cross-functional teams to uphold standards of comfort, support, and performance.

• Led design across Intimates, Sleepwear, Shapewear, Active/Performance, Hosiery, Swim, and Juniors, with products rolling out chain-wide to hundreds of doors and millions of units annually. • Defined the end-to-end creative vision for Juniors Intimates, modernizing trend, color, silhouette, and branding to clearly differentiate from Missy while aligning with the broader apparel division. • Owned the company’s entire Sleepwear category, introducing new silhouettes, prints, and fabrications across multiple private-label brands to expand growth while maintaining distinct identities for younger and core customers. • Directed highly technical product development across all categories—overseeing fit systems, trims, construction, and performance standards, including the successful introduction of plus-size intimates for the Juniors market. • Managed and mentored a team of five designers while leading cross-functional development with technical, sourcing, and merchandising partners.

• Selected as New York–based market consultant for intimates, shapewear, and swim, providing cultural, commercial, and trend intelligence to WGSN’s global forecasting teams. • Shaped industry-facing storytelling and direction by translating U.S. consumer behavior, product innovation, and market shifts into actionable insight for brands worldwide.

• Recruited internationally to establish the foundations/intimates division in Australia, laying the design framework for a new category within a major global retailer. • Led product across intimates, shapewear, swim, and active, defining fit, fabrication, and aesthetic standards from the ground up. • Built and scaled core assortments that balanced technical performance with commercial accessibility for a mass market. • Partnered cross-functionally with sourcing, production, and merchandising to bring a new category to market.

• Served as U.S. market advisor on brand vision and aesthetic direction, shaping swimwear collections for a European luxury label through cultural insight, creative leadership, and product storytelling.

• Led design and commercial development for mass-market private-label partnerships, shaping assortments for major retailers including Kohl’s and Target. • Directed foundation and intimates product strategy—aligning creative vision, technical execution, and business objectives across high-volume retail platforms. • Collaborated with culturally influential designers and brand leaders—including Stephen Burrows, Nicole Miller, and Daisy Fuentes—integrating high-fashion authority and celebrity-driven brand identity into commercially scalable private-label collections.

• Launched the Betsey Johnson intimates and lifestyle brand from the ground up—defining creative vision, product strategy, and brand identity end-to-end. • Partnered directly with Betsey Johnson, shaping aesthetic direction, storytelling, and product architecture across lingerie, intimates, and loungewear with a fashion-forward, culturally resonant point of view. • Built the brand’s foundation at every level—from fabric selection, trims, labeling, and hangtags to color, fit, and category structure—establishing a cohesive, scalable design system. • Led a high-profile launch featuring celebrity talent, runway presentations, and major press, driving strong market visibility and fashion-industry credibility. • Achieved rapid commercial adoption across top retail partners including Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, and Victoria’s Secret, with Victoria’s Secret acquiring the brand for select flagship locations.