Visual Merchandising & Retail Design

Paulina
Peña

Retail Design Visual Merchandising Strategy Store Planning & Environments Bay Area, CA

Industrial designer with over a decade of experience collaborating on visual merchandising and store design for global brands — from concept through fabrication and installation.

Previously at Levi Strauss & Co. and L'Oréal México, working with brands including Levi's, Denizen, Giorgio Armani, Viktor & Rolf, Kiehl's, and Ralph Lauren. Master's in Commercial & Retail Design, Elisava Barcelona.

Outside of that, I make things — garments, leather goods, bags, quilts, embroidery, paper art, sashiko. The list keeps growing.

Based in the Bay Area. Open to work.

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Selected Work

Retail environments
from brief to build.

A decade working on global brand environments — from the first brief through fabrication, installation, and everything that comes up in between. Mostly in Mexico City, across Levi's brands and L'Oréal's luxury brand roster.

01 — Brand Environments

Global Retail Rollout

Levi Strauss & Co.
Brand Environments

Developed and executed physical brand environments across Mexico. Translating the global concept to the requirements of the Mexican market. Coordinated seasonal campaigns, store openings, and fixture prototyping with local vendors and suppliers, maintaining alignment with Levi's worldwide brand standards.

Managed full production cycle: materials, timelines, quality control, and store visits to verify brand integrity across Levi's, Denizen, and Levi Strauss Signature.

Brand Environments Store Openings Fabrication Coordination Global Standards 2018–2022

02 — Visual Merchandising

Luxury Retail Environments

L'Oréal México
Luxury Brand Spaces

Led design and implementation of shop-in-shop environments for luxury brands as well as visual merchandising campaigns for product launches across Mexico's department stores.

Managed the full production cycle — spatial concept, 3D development, custom fixture design, vendor coordination, and on-site installation.

Brands: Giorgio Armani · Viktor & Rolf · Kiehl's · Ralph Lauren · Yves Saint Laurent · Biotherm · Clarisonic.

Shop-in-Shop Fixture Design 3D Development Vendor Management 2013–2018

Product Design

Object Studies
Sketch to Fabrication

Self-initiated furniture and objects developed from sketch through construction documentation and fabrication. Monterrey Desk, Amsterdam Planters, Vinyl Storage Shelf, Rack & Shelf, Huanacaxtle Sideboard — each taken from hand drawing to dimensioned plan to built piece.

Industrial Design Technical Drawing Fabrication

Material Exploration

Craft Practice
Material & Construction

Ongoing exploration of materials and construction — leatherwork, waxed canvas, paper art. Each piece designed and built from scratch: sketch, pattern, material selection, construction, finish. The same systematic process thinking applied to professional work.

Leathercraft Waxed Canvas Paper Art Pattern Making

How I Work

From creative brief
to built environment.

01 — Strategy

Brief & Vision

Translating brand identity and commercial objectives into clear spatial strategies. Aligning creative direction with business goals across cross-functional teams.

02 — Design

Concept & Development

Developing spatial concepts from sketch through 3D documentation. Creating fixture specifications, planograms, and design kits used by installation and store teams across the country.

03 — Production

Fabrication & Coordination

Coordinating vendors and timelines. Overseeing materials, budget, and quality — from prototype review to final delivery.

04 — Install

Execution & Alignment

On-site store visits, prototype reviews, and leadership alignment. Ensuring global brand standards are met at every touchpoint in every market.

Journal

Making things.
Always.

Making has always run alongside the professional work — not as a hobby, just as the other thing I do. Some of it became Cut 'N Stitch — an independent brand founded in Mexico City, producing handcrafted leather goods, bags, and garments sold at design bazaars and craft markets. Some became formal coursework at West Valley College. The list keeps growing.

2023–2026 · West Valley College, Saratoga CA

Garment Construction
& Pattern Making

Formal coursework in construction, pattern making, and couture embellishment — learning the technical language of garments with the same systematic thinking applied to retail environments for a decade.

ConstructionPattern MakingCouture

2020–2022 · Cut 'N Stitch, Mexico City

Leather, Textiles
& Craft Markets

An independent brand producing handcrafted leather goods, bags, and waxed canvas pouches — sold at design bazaars and craft markets in Mexico City. Developed the full process: concept, pattern making, construction, and direct sales.

LeathercraftTextilesCraft Markets

2023–Present · Bay Area

Quilting, Embroidery
& Textile Practice

Piecing and hand quilting large-scale quilts from scratch — cutting, composing, and stitching each one by hand. Alongside that, embroidery and stitch sampling as a way of understanding what fabric can do.

QuiltingEmbroideryHand Stitching

About

Designer.
Collaborator.
Maker.

I'm an industrial designer from Mexico City, with a background in retail environments and store design. For over a decade I've worked with visual merchandising and store design teams at global brands — from translating concepts and adapting them to local markets, all the way through to fabrication coordination and installation.

Most of the work I care about happens between the drawing and the finished space. The vendor calls, the material revisions, the things that don't quite work until you solve them on site. That's the part I like best.

In parallel, I make things. Garments, leather goods, bags, quilts, embroidery, paper art, sashiko — the list keeps growing. It started as a side practice and became something I take seriously. Working directly with materials keeps my understanding of construction close and honest.

Detail and process matter to me — in every project, at every scale.

Experience & Education

2018–2022
Brand Environment Coordinator
Levi Strauss & Co. — Mexico City
Developed and executed physical brand environments across Mexico. Translating the global concept to the requirements of the Mexican market. Coordinated seasonal campaigns, store openings, and fixture prototyping with local vendors, maintaining alignment with Levi's worldwide brand standards across Levi's, Denizen, and Levi Strauss Signature.
2013–2018
Store Design & Visual Merchandising
L'Oréal México — Mexico City
Led design and implementation of shop-in-shop environments for luxury brands across Liverpool and Palacio de Hierro. Developed visual merchandising campaigns for new product launches. Managed the full production cycle — spatial concept, 3D development, custom fixture design, vendor coordination, and on-site installation. Brands: Giorgio Armani, Viktor & Rolf, Kiehl's, Ralph Lauren, YSL, Biotherm.
2010–2012
Senior Industrial Designer
Diafrom Centro de Diseño — Mexico City
Designed and produced retail and point-of-sale environments. Client and supplier liaison, budget control, resource optimization.
2008–2010
Interior Design
Estudio Lofft — Mexico City
Assisted clients with space design during store visits. Managed showroom updates across seasons. Sales support.
2023–2026
Construction, Pattern Making & Couture
West Valley College — Saratoga, CA
Garment construction, pattern making, and couture embellishment. Continuing: draping, design fundamentals, and fundamentals of costume design.
2018
Diploma in Leatherwork
Cuero Workshop — Mexico City
2012–2013
Master's, Commercial & Retail Design
Elisava School of Design — Barcelona
Specialized in retail space design and commercial experiences. Winner, Best Store Design — REC Experimental Stores 2013. Workshop in experimental visual media for retail with Studio XAG.
2005–2009
BFA Industrial Design
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana — Mexico City
Best Academic Performance award.

Paulina
Peña