Brands
Banaja Samal appointed head visual merchandiser at Skechers South Asia
Former Puma executive to lead retail presentation and in-store experience
MUMBAI: Skechers South Asia Pvt. Ltd. has appointed Banaja Samal as head visual merchandiser, strengthening its focus on in-store storytelling and retail presentation across the region.
In her new role, Samal will lead the visual merchandising strategy and execution for Skechers’ South Asia operations. She will focus on enhancing the in-store brand experience while ensuring consistent retail presentation across the company’s growing network of stores.
Samal brings more than a decade of experience in retail design and visual merchandising across leading fashion and lifestyle brands. She joins Skechers after an eight-year stint at Puma Group, where she most recently served as visual merchandise manager.
During her time at Puma, she also worked as visual merchandiser and LFR concept manager, and earlier as assistant manager overseeing visual merchandising for regions including Karnataka and Mumbai.
Prior to this, Samal worked with Blackberrys Menswear as a visual merchandiser, managing multiple eastern markets including Kolkata, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. She also served as a concept designer at StudioJ, developing window displays and in-store concepts for various brands.
Samal began her career as a textile designer with Universal Textile Mills and Jaipuria Silk Mills, gaining early experience in surface techniques, prints and design development.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, India.
