Rachel Berks
Executive Leader — PARTNERSHIPS + COLLABORATIONS Creative Direction Product Development Merchandising
Rachel Berks is a creative and product executive with 20+ years of experience across fashion, retail, lifestyle, and cultural businesses. She builds and scales product ecosystems, launches cross-category innovation, and develops brand partnerships that drive growth and relevance. Operating at the intersection of culture, commerce, and creativity, she brings a refined design and editorial sensibility to product and merchandising strategy. A values-driven leader, she’s known for building strong teams, cohesive brand vision, and thoughtful, ethically grounded consumer experiences.
VP PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT + PARTNERSHIPS | GOTHAM, NYC
• Lead end-to-end product innovation across categories including beauty + fragrance, apparel, accessories, home and lifestyle.
• Direct co-branded partnerships, exclusive releases and culturally-significant domestic and international collaborations.
• Oversee creative development, new category incubation and strategic roadmap for product expansion.
• Lead programming and curatorial for Gotham’s art gallery and project spaces, delivering installations, pop-ups and community activations that reinforce brand positioning.
Curation, programming and creative direction for The Smoking Section, ashtrays by 44 artists, November 2025.
Creative direction + product development for Gotham Goods.
Collaboration between Eckhaus Latta and Gotham during NYFW SS26, September 2025.
VP CREATIVE + MERCHANDISING | GOTHAM, NYC
• Owned global creative direction and merchandising strategy across retail and e-commerce.
• Managed in-house product development, vendor strategy, pricing architecture and financial forecasting.
• Built and mentored a high-performance creative, product and merchandising organization.
• Drove cohesive visual identity, brand storytelling and multi-channel experience design.
Collaboration with Eckhaus Latta, Weed’d and Gotham, NYFW FW25, February 2025.
Creative direction and production for Spring/Summer 2025 photoshoot with artist A.L. Steiner and dancer/choreographers Molly and Nola. March 2025.
Collaboration with Collina Strada NYFW FW25, February 2025.
Nas x Objects are By show The World is Yours, April 2025.
Creative direction + PD of Gotham’s pride tee shirt, June 2025.
DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE + MERCHANDISING | GOTHAM, NYC
• Developed foundational creative direction and merchandising architecture during Gotham’s launch phase.
• Managed seasonal assortments, vendor relationships, line planning and visual storytelling.
• Successfully established category expansion and early cultural partnerships that shaped the brand’s identity.
Lifestyle merchandising, Gotham Bowery.
Lifestyle merchandising, Gotham Bowery.
Creative direction + product development, The Flower is Female t-shirt.
founder + creative director | Otherwild, la + nyc
• Built a nationally-recognized and proftable creative studio, retail concept and cultural community space.
• Created viral and culturally influential products with global reach across lifestyle, apparel, art and advocacy.
• Led a multidisciplinary design studio producing apparel, accessories, branding, publications and digital experiences.
• Curated ethically-sourced assortments working with over vendors, developing a values-driven supply chain production centered on sustainability, equity and impact.
• Produced cultural programming including workshops, performances, readings, lectures, festivals, markets and exhibitions.
Otherwild Los Angeles 2012-2023.
The Future is Female t-shirt, launched in 2015.
Queer, one-of-a-kind, upcycled tees.
Otherwild Los Angeles 2012-2023.
Collaboration with Herstory.
Collaboration with Sleater-Kinney.
Hirsuit, an androgynous swimsuit by Otherwild.
creative director + art director | ford models, NYC
• Directed global brand identity, visual systems across print and digital, and campaign creative for Ford Models and fordPROJECT.
• Oversaw creative staff, budgets, production workflows and cross- office brand consistency.
Led the visual identity and creative direction for Ford Models.
• Produced portfolios, comp cards, campaigns, and digital assets.
• Oversaw design concepts, photo selections, retouching, and brand consistency across all markets while collaborating with agents, photographers, and talent.
Creative direction + design for Ford Models, 2004-2011.
