Experience

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  Penelope Francis & Co.

  • Los Angeles + Montecito + Miami

  • Creative Director

    • Jan 2004 - Present
    • Los Angeles + Montecito + Miami

    Los Angeles creative Penelope Francis splits her time between the best of both worlds, Miami and California. As a designer, her innovative approach to interior design is firmly rooted in her background in fashion. Penelope's first rigorous career path was groomed in TV and Film production as a successful Hollywood stylist and costume designer. She was also the imaginative visionary behind her former global luxury brand, Fifi & Romeo. She designed the interiors of the Los Angeles flagship boutique to reflect a glamourous era in Paris, touting an opulent apartment-style space with a colossal center chandelier, two-story draperies mixed with French antiques and modern furnishings. She received numerous requests for interior design services, often from her celebrity clientele, including one such visit with Bette Midler in the star's New York Penthouse overlooking Central Park. Fifi & Romeo, her Los Angeles-based lifestyle brand, was sold worldwide: Barneys New York, Neiman-Marcus, Kirna Zabête – (SoHo shop-in-shop), Fred Segal, Browns in London, Quartier 206 in Berlin, and mono-brand shops around Japan! Her iconic dog collection celebrated in Legally Blonde became a worldwide sensation and appearing as a guest on Oprah's Christmas Show was the ultimate milestone for the designer and artist."I've been impossibly curious and a wanderlust explorer my whole life. I find that I am looking for treasures and decorative arts wherever I am, perpetually stroking that curiosity and passion for interior decoration. Digging around old dusty barns in Upstate New York to hunting for handmade fabrics in Jaipur India, colorful trims in New Delhi, foraging for antiques in the Paris flea markets, or simply "junk-tiquing" somewhere in the vast sprawl of Los Angeles… the pursuit of treasures makes me deeply and profoundly happy."

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  ANTROBUS+RAMIREZ

  • Miami

  • Executive Creative Brand Director

    • 2018 - 2020
    • Miami

    Penelope Francis brings her entrepreneurial credentials, passion for design and dot-connecting for the firm. Penelope’s role was to actively lead creative strategic development and implementation for the 2 divisions of the company; Product Design and Interior Architecture/Interior Design. Entrepreneurial and driven, with 20 years of Design Industry expertise, she brings her proven networking skills, building fruitful partnerships and delivering bottom-line growth.Brokered a 4-city showroom deal, launching the inaugural A+R product division with an unconventional fiber arts rug collection. The collection launched in LA, NYC, Dallas, and Chicago within the renowned showroom, JEAN DE MERRYABOUT A+R:ANTROBUS + RAMIREZ is a Miami-based, International Interior Architecture, Interior Design, and Product Design studio with an “under the radar” ethos. The firm specializes in Luxury Residential, Hospitality and Commercial projects in the US, Mexico, and the Carribean.Antrobus and Ramirez are alums of YOO LTD’S in-house Design Studio. There, the young designers worked alongside renowned talents Philippe Starck, Marcel Wanders, Kelly Hoppen, Jade Jagger on a variety marquee projects in Miami, Mexico, Argentina, Istanbul, Moscow, India, Thailand, and Vienna.

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  Fifi & Romeo

  • Los Angeles

  • Co-Founder - Creative Director

    • 1998 - 2002
    • Los Angeles

    Created trademark name and brand concept – Using Kate Spade as a business model, the vision was Breakfast at Tiffany’s meets Eloise at the Plaza with a little French flair from LaduréeDesigned the Chihuahua’s costumes and pet carriers for both Legally Blonde moviesDeveloped and increased wholesale distribution, domestically and internationally over 300% during a 4+ year periodOversaw external support teams and vendors of 40+ supervising manufacturing across the brand’s 4 divisions and 300+ SKU’sLead the design team of 8 and in-house manufacturing and sales across the brand’s 4 wholesale divisions: pet, women, baby and home product collectionsRecycled Cashmere: across all 4 divisionso Leather hard goods; diaper bags, dog carriers, collars & leadso Hand-knit, dog, baby and women’s sweaters and accessorieso Hand-beading and hand-embroidery: across all 4 divisionso T-shirts and coats; dog, baby, womenDeveloped a Japanese licensing deal, with Naigai Co Ltd, for what became 11 Fifi & Romeo boutique locations across Japan.Responsible for the high-concept design, decoration and packaging of the Fifi & Romeo retail store footprint. In addition to the flagship destination in Los Angeles, a Fifi & Romeo shop-n-shop at famed Kirna Zabête, the women's luxury fashion destination in Soho, New York. Retail partnerships included: Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus, Fred Segal, ABC Home & Carpet, Jeffery's, Browns-London, Quartier 206-Berlin, American Rag-Japan Celebrity clients, partial list: Prince Charles, Oprah, Angelina Jolie, Sting, Reese Witherspoon, and Robert Downey Jr.

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  Costume Designer / Fashion Styist

  • Los Angeles + New York

  • ADVERTISING & ENTERTAINMENT

    • 1987 - 2002
    • Los Angeles + New York

    Stylist & Costume Designer - IATSE 705 Designer and Fashion Stylist for television programming, print and commercial advertising.Interpreted pop culture, past and current fashion trends to design and develop a brands image or character's styleAs a Department Head – I hired and managed my production’s team of 10+ which included costume supervisors, dressers, shoppers, sewing rooms, and design assistantsCorporate Client List: NBC-Universal, Nike, Mattel, Neiman Marcus, Disney-Disneyland, Saban Entertainment, Grammy Awards, History Channel, A&E, Michael Jackson - MTV Anniversary SpecialIllustrated initial style, concept, and design presentation for advertising and agency producers, art directors, creative directors and for network executives, stage directors, writers and producersNegotiated 20+ wholesale/retail product placement deals with various retail and wholesale apparel brands securing products for network airing