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Location: New York, NY | Schedule: Full-time, on-site 4 days/week with remote work on Fridays

Overview

An established apparel company is seeking an experienced Fabric Development Manager to oversee the sourcing, development, and commercialization of fabrics, washes, trims, and raw materials across its product collections. This role owns the full fabric development lifecycle from initial concept through bulk production handoff, ensuring materials meet quality, cost, aesthetic, and timeline expectations, and plays a key part in driving material innovation while balancing quality, cost, speed to market, and operational efficiency.

What you'll do

• Lead fabric and raw material development from concept through bulk production, ensuring materials meet design, quality, cost, and timing objectives
• Source and develop seasonal fabrics, trims, washes, and other raw materials that align with design direction, sourcing capabilities, and financial targets
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with domestic and international mills, suppliers, laundries, factories, and other business partners
• Collaborate with Design, Product Development, Technical Design, Production, Merchandising, and Sourcing to secure timely material approvals and ensure smooth execution
• Maintain the PLM material library, fabric archives, and wash standards to support accurate documentation and seasonal development
• Research textile and industry trends and identify new materials, technologies, and supplier opportunities that can enhance the product offering
• Analyze fabric utilization across brands and identify opportunities to leverage materials, improve costs and lead times, and support broader business objectives

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Fashion Merchandising, Textile Science, Product Development, Apparel Manufacturing, Business, International Trade, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in Fabric Development, Raw Materials Development, or Sourcing within the apparel industry
• Experience developing products for children's apparel, private label, or licensed brands
• Strong knowledge of textile construction, including yarns, knitting, weaving, dyeing, printing, finishing, and garment wash development
• Solid understanding of apparel manufacturing and the product development lifecycle from concept through production handoff
• Experience sourcing fabrics, trims, and sample materials from domestic and international suppliers
• Experience working directly with overseas factories and international vendors
• Familiarity with sustainability initiatives, recycled materials, and responsible sourcing practices
• Strong organizational and time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced, multi-channel environment
• Detail-oriented and able to work independently while adapting to changing priorities
• Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across departments, vendors, and overseas offices
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate professionally across global teams
• Proficiency with PLM systems, Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint
• Must be in the office 4 days/week, with the option to work from home on Fridays

Why this role

This is an opportunity to drive material innovation and lead fabric development end-to-end for an established apparel business, balancing quality, cost, and speed to market across a multi-channel product organization.