John Moore

President /Creative Director

John Moore (aka Juan Mas) made his first major footprint on the fashion and apparel industries with Abercrombie & Fitch. In 1999, John was handpicked to create the third concept for A&F. He conceptualized the brand identity, store concept, directed clothing and graphic design, and named it Hollister. Opening its doors in 2000 and driving most of A&F's success over the last decade, Hollister is arguably the most successful retail rollout of all time. John quickly rose up the corporate ranks to Global Conceptual Director of all businesses at A&F. Six years later, he went on to become Creative Director of the much-heralded label Modern Amusement where he used his retail knowledge and cultured style to elevate the brand from a little known Southern California street wear label to an in-demand premium collection, available in the very best accounts globally. He quickly became known as the California kid with the golden touch, the go-to-guy who was paving his own way in the fashion game. In early 2008, John launched the Pencil on Paper Studio (the POP studio) on the platforms of Brand Engineering, Creative Therapy and Concept Design. Less than two years in operation, The POP Studio has worked with a diverse list of clients such as Liz Claiborne Inc. (Mexx Europe and Lucky Brand), PepsiCo, Quiksilver, Urban Outfitters, Cherokee Inc., Splendid and Ella Moss (VF Contemporary Brands). Through a long-term strategic partnership with BSP, John holds the dual-title of Chief Creative Officer of the firm's strategic acquisition, incubation and consulting activities. A conceptual storyteller, John believes that a good narrative is essential to every great concept. Always assigning equal value to art and commerce, John can best be summed up as the “Merchant Creative Director.” John proudly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Westmont College in Santa Barbara.

Ramez Toubassy

President of BSP

Ramez oversees all of the firm's day-to-day operations and charts the strategy for long-term growth. He is responsible for managing all of BSP and the POP studio's acquisition, incubation and consulting activities and takes a roll up the sleeves role in the resulting businesses that are created. Ramez also serves as the CEO of BSP portfolio company Shabby Chic Brands and is hard at work directing all aspects of the development of that business. Prior to joining BSP, Ramez served as the head of Business Development for private equity backed Indian Motorcycle Company in Gilroy, California where he was responsible for all non-vehicle businesses including Indian's licensing program, the dealer-channel apparel and merchandise businesses, and the company's eCommerce efforts. Previously Ramez was a principal at Evolution Global Partners, an investment firm focused on partnering with Fortune 500 companies to develop and build new businesses based on under-leveraged corporate assets. Ramez has also spent several years advising senior management of a variety of global corporations in his positions at Deutsche Bank and Price Waterhouse. Ramez holds a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Pomona College.

Michael Abbey

Men’s Conceptual Director

Michael Abbey has been in the garment industry for fifteen years, with extensive experience in the contemporary market. He began his career with a summer internship at Levi Strauss & Co. That quickly won him a design job with the denim pioneers, first in San Francisco and ultimately bringing him to their Tokyo office. Returning to his hometown of Los Angeles, Abbey designed menswear and womenswear lines for Earl Jeans, Joie, Three Dots and Op Classics. Abbey also served as the Senior Denim Designer at Juicy Couture, and the Design Director for men’s & women’s at Modern Amusement. A most prolific designer, he is interested in the slight twists and nuances of design, be it achieving an authentic vintage denim wash or tweaking seam lines and proportions to reinvent basic knits. Through the auspicious meeting of John Moore while working at Modern Amusement, Abbey has joined the POP studio to be the Men’s Conceptual Designer.

Kateigh Axness

Women’s Conceptual Director

Kateigh Axness began her career in 2005, designing menswear for premium sportswear label Modern Amusement. It was here where she mastered the art of conceptual design. Within her first year in the fashion industry, she was off to join Juicy Couture's concept design team at its inception. Over the next three years Axness was a major influence on Juicy's seasonal inspiration, trend analysis and resource development. During her time there, these tools were key in increasing cohesion and overall sales for the half-billion dollar giant during their most dramatic period of growth. And now, it's the opportunity to weave art, music and travel into dynamic conceptual projects for The POP Studio that keeps Axness passionate and inspired. That, and a truly great pair of new shoes.

Yusuke Tsukamoto

Art Director

Yusuke Tsukamoto works as the art director, designer, and artist in residence for The POP Studio, with focus on brand identity and packaging, web sites, ad campaigns, book design and printed matters. Born in Chiba, Japan, Tsukamoto has been living and working in Los Angeles as an artist known as Katsuo Design since 2001. His design collaborations are extensive and include Cosa Nostra by Jeffery Sebelia, Habitual Jeans, Beams T, 2K by Gingham, Commonwealth Stacks, The Quiet Life, and North Face among others. His artworks and illustrations have been featured in an impressive array of publications including Arkitip Magazine, Swindle Magazine, Re:Up Magazine and 55DSL in the U.S., So-en and +81 Magazines in Japan, and This-is-a-Magazine in Italy. Most recently, his artwork has been shown at exhibitions in Beams, Paul Smith and Rocket Gallery in Japan, New Image Art in the U.S., and Mu Foundation in the Netherlands. He loves to create primitively and digitally, his motto is to make things right! Feels right! Looks right!

Stacey Hunter Harrington

Lingerie / Swim Design Director

A New York native, Stacey Hunter made the move out west to Los Angeles about two years ago with her husband and now 4 year old son..."better quality of life," she says. Stacey has kept her New York edge, but her west coast style and love for the beach and surf culture is what makes her thrive. With fifteen years of experience in the Lingerie & Swimwear markets, she is most noted for her keen insight in emerging trends, innovative styling, and pioneering of new textiles, lace, embroideries and prints. She has worked with several of the largest textiles companies in the US, Italy and France throughout her career. Truly the intimates guru, she has worked with top retailers including Victoria's Secret Design Studio, Gap Body, Target and Gilly Hicks. Stacey has been instrumental in countless successful launch programs and is truly passionate and colorful in her expertise...

Helen Job

Global Trend Director

Helen Job has worked as a trend forecaster, consultant and journalist for nearly a decade, most recently directing WGSN’s US content. She is widely recognized for her expertise in trend analysis and forecasting and has consulted for major brands and retailers such as Target and Liz Claiborne. Helen has served as a presenter at trend seminars, spoken at numerous conferences worldwide and is a Trendspotting professor at Parsons School of Design. She also serves on the advisory board for a number of international trade shows.  Her expertise has also been recognized in international publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and on ABC and NBC news. Originally from the UK, Helen lives in New York with her husband and two young daughters.

Hannah Henderson

Conceptual Designer / Copyright Editor

Hannah Henderson has been honing her craft since early childhood. Always a student of fashion, she learned the art of effortless style from her hippie commune-like upbringing in the deserts of Arizona. This fashion infatuation eventually brought her to Los Angeles where she started her own label, The Dirty Romantics. After selling through in such sought after accounts as Ron Herman and Fred Segal Flair, she expanded on her skills of design by styling for her friends in the fashion world. She has consulted and styled Los Angeles based labels Kova & T and Modern Amusement to name a few. Having mastered the delicate balance of laid-back style and high fashion, her taste level and natural sense of what's next is an asset to all things creative in The POP Studio.

Ann Gordon

Gallery Director / Studio Coordinator

Ann Gordon holds a degree in Fine Art from the College for Creative Studies, and built her professional reputation as an artist and gallery director, as well as an acclaimed art critic/documentarian. Born and raised in Detroit, Ms. Gordon departed the Motor City in 2007 for Europe and the Middle East, eventually settling in Berlin for a time. From there, she moved to Los Angeles and founded the LA-based art blog/conceptual critical project, TRYHARDER (tryharderart.com), and fashion inspiration blog, TRYHARDERPANTS. She has contributed to numerous publications, and has been written about by the online arms of the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Interview magazine, among others. Ms. Gordon does not eat blue foods or chew gum; she occasionally Rollerblades when no one is watching.

Mark Bruinooge

"The Architect"

Mark has been a trusted advisor to the POP Studio since day one. He’s the man that cuts through the details to structure a deal that makes sense for all parties garnering him the nickname, "The Architect". Mark is also a founding partner of Seismic, an advisory services and investment company focused on building transformational growth oriented companies and concepts in the lifestyle brand, media and technology industries. Previously, Mark was a Senior Vice President at Bank of America Corporation where he developed and executed the growth strategy for the Bank's eCommerce business through various Strategy and Marketing roles. Mark is a refugee from Wall Street and most proud of his time working at Hambrecht & Quist LLC where he focused on advising and investing in early stage technology companies. Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Lafayette College. When not working on building new business concepts, and between cross-country flights, Mark spends as much time as possible playing guitar.