Fabric/Trim Development Manager

Description

Haddad is a privately held family business with 100 years’ experience in the children’s apparel & accessories industry. A leader in the children’s wear industry, Haddad Brands is the exclusive global licensee for the most iconic brands in the world, which include Nike, Jordan, Converse, Hurley, Levi’s, Polo, Abercrombie and Fitch, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Huggies. Supported by a team of professionals skilled in design, sourcing, production, sales, marketing & distribution of premium quality children’s wear, Haddad distributes globally to 100+ countries and maintains sales and sourcing offices in 22 cities globally, including New York, Paris, Hilversum, Shanghai, Egypt, Bangkok, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, London and Montreal.

Overview:

The Fabric/Trim Development Manager will work cross functionally with Sourcing, Production, Design, and Product Approval teams to anticipate and analyze material needs across all brands to leverage qualities across divisions.

Key Accountabilities:

• Work closely with mills and suppliers to proactively review seasonal collections, inclusive of competitive insight, and future materials needs
• Source seasonal design requests with suppliers and offer solutions if it is outside of the brand's seasonal sourcing and pricing strategy
• Maintain Seasonal Fabric Price Chart 
• Support the Product Approval team on fabric approvals as needed 
• Conduct market research to identify current trends and compile competitive data as it relates to the brands in order to establish key objectives for the reason
• Communicate fabric standards to all offices on behalf of the Sourcing and Fabric Development teams
• Maintain a fabric library to support seasonal inspiration of the brand 
• Manage Fabric entry and maintenance in PLM
• Attend all industry related trade and fabric shows
• Research and identify current trends in fabric technology
• Partner with Quality Assurance and Product Integrity departments to ensure proper testing of fabrics and trims
• Manage sourcing and costing for trims
• Manage wash development with factories needed
• Special projects as assigned

Requirements

 Required Skills/Abilities/Education: 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Textile/Product Development or related field
• 4+ years of experience in the fashion industry with a strong knowledge of fabric development, inclusive of knits and woven construction
• Outerwear fabrication knowledge is a plus
• Brand appropriate aesthetic
• Ability to travel as needed (up to 30%)
• Excellent organizational, communication and presentation skills with attention to detail
• Deadline driven with a sense of urgency and accuracy
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize in a fast-paced environment
• Strong general computer and Excel skills

Consistent in-office presence is vital to the role as it is for all Haddad Brands team members, so that we all have a full appreciation, aesthetically and tactilely, of the qualities that define our brand partners’ products and set them apart from their competitors.