The Director of Fabric Research and Development will lead the end-to-end process of sourcing, developing, and managing fabrics and trims for seasonal collections. This role involves close collaboration with the design team to bring their vision to life through a brand lens while overseeing the approval process, maintaining a comprehensive fabric library, and ensuring material quality and performance standards are met. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in fabric sourcing, technical material knowledge, and the ability to manage multiple projects across various seasons. Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills are essential to effectively navigate cross-functional collaboration and drive successful outcomes.
- Bring and build strong relationships with mills, dye houses and suppliers.
- Work directly with the design and product development teams to translate seasonal fashion concepts into materials that are on-brand and aligned with sustainability and brand strategy.
- Lead the end-to-end fabric sourcing and development process, from initial concept to final approval.
- Directly responsible for creating, maintaining, and executing a weekly Work-In-Progress (WIP) chart to track the approval status of each fabric and trim ensuring clear visibility of progress and timely updates across teams.
- Ensure that all materials meet required testing/quality standards, performance metrics, product safety claims, and specifications as per established guidelines.
- Responsible for communicating fabric properties, specifications, and details to both internal teams and external stakeholders.
- Curate and manage a comprehensive fabric and trim library to support the design team’s material selection process.
- Oversee the management of carryover fabrics and trims, ensuring accurate and up-to-date fabric pricing, physical material library, and digital records for FDS and testing.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with material suppliers to secure high-quality, cost-effective materials within the design calendar timelines.
- Proactively address potential challenges related to quality, pricing, lead times, or minimum order requirements, collaborating with cross-functional teams to resolve issues.
- Lead in season raw material issue resolution and troubleshooting of fabric related issues including issuing additional lab tests
- Take initiative in addressing and resolving difficult issues, effectively communicating solutions and expectations.
- Ensure the Product Lifecycle Management (Centric PLM) database is consistently updated with accurate material information.
- Organize and oversee the in-office Mill Week, coordinating fabric and supplier presentations, ensuring smooth logistics and alignment with the design and product development teams.
- Travel domestically and internationally as needed for fabric shows, mill visits, and supplier engagements.
- Bachelor’s degree in Textile Science, Apparel, or a related field.
- 15+ years of experience in fabric/yarn and trim sourcing and development across knits/wovens/laces/sweaters/intimates.
- Bring a robust network and proven portfolio of mills, dye houses and trim suppliers.
- Strong technical expertise in materials, including knowledge of yarns, knitting, weaving, dyeing, printing, finishing techniques, and quality assurance/testing processes.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with keen attention to detail and strong organizational abilities.
- Proven experience managing multiple projects or categories with competing resources and deadlines across various seasons.
- Experience in developing and testing materials with vendors, from initial concept through to production.
- Excellent time management skills, with the ability to meet deadlines and manage workflows efficiently.
- Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to work independently and cooperatively with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Collaborative team player, skilled in negotiation and building consensus across functions.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (spreadsheets, word processing) and experience with Centric PLM system is a plus.
- An inviting, energetic environment that embodies our female-founded, entrepreneurial mentality
- Seasoned industry leadership committed to your professional development in the fashion retail industry
- Competitive pay, health & retirement benefits, and a generous employee discount
