Merchandising Manager -Knits & Winter Wear

Clothing Culture; Mumbai; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Clothing Culture seeks an experienced Merchandising Manager Knits & Winter Wear to lead the mens casualwear line from concept to final production, including sourcing, sampling, costing and vendor management.

The role requires expertise in knitted fabrics, washes, trims, and range building with strong negotiation and project ownership. Collaboration with design and production teams is essential to meet timelines and quality standards.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of mens knits, casualwear, and winter wear.
• Good knowledge of knitted fabrics including jersey, pique, interlock, fleece, terry, waffle, rib, jacquard and blends.
• Knowledge of washes, prints, embroideries, trims, and finishing processes.
• Experience in range development, sampling, costing, vendor follow-up, and production coordination.
• Ability to prepare TNA plans, order sheets, purchase orders, utilisation/consumption sheets and sourcing plans.
• Solid understanding of quality standards, inspections, and shipment follow-up.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and team management skills.
• Ability to work independently and own the complete product development cycle.

Responsibilities

• Lead merchandising and product development for mens knits and winter wear lines.
• Collaborate with design on trend research, color stories, fabric direction, and trims.
• Coordinate with suppliers, mills, and vendors for fabric, trims, sampling and bulk production.
• Manage sampling, salesman sample development, approvals and handover to production.
• Prepare internal order sheets, purchase orders, fabric/trims booking sheets, and TNA plans.
• Oversee costing, fabric consumption, trim consumption, and cost control.
• Follow up on lab dips, strike-offs, trims, washes, and pre/post production samples.
• Ensure in-housing of fabrics, trims, and packaging materials.
• Coordinate with production and QA teams to resolve bulk production issues.
• Maintain inbound inventory control of fabrics, trims, and accessories.

Skills

Mens knits

Casualwear

Winter wear

Knitted fabrics

Single jersey

Pique

Interlock

Fleece

French terry

Waffle

Rib

Jacquard

Blended knits

Winter fabrics

Range development

Sampling

Costing

Vendor follow-up

Production coordination

TNA plans

Order sheets

Purchase orders

Inspections

Shipment follow-up

Communication

Negotiation

Education

Fashion Design/Diploma in Apparel Merchandising/Textile Design

NIFT/NID/Pearl background preferred

Job description

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced Merchandising Manager Knits & Winter Wear to lead product development, sourcing, sampling, costing, vendor coordination, and production follow-up for our mens casualwear category.

The candidate should have strong knowledge of knitted fabrics, high-fashion casualwear, winter wear, range building, costing, trims, washes, sampling, and vendor management. The role requires someone who can independently manage the category from concept stage to salesman sample handover and final production execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead merchandising and product development for T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jackets, and winter wear.
• Work closely with the design team on trend research, international brand study, colour stories, fabric direction, trims, and range building.
• Coordinate with suppliers, manufacturers, mills, and vendors for fabric, trims, accessories, sampling, and bulk production.
• Manage sampling execution, salesman sample development, approvals, and complete sample handover.
• Prepare internal order sheets, purchase orders, fabric and trim booking sheets, and TNA plans.
• Handle costing, fabric consumption, trim consumption, final cut understanding, and cost control.
• Follow up on lab dips, strike-offs, trims, accessories, washes, fit samples, pre-production samples, and bulk approvals.
• Ensure timely in-housing of fabrics, trims, accessories, and packaging materials.
• Coordinate with production and quality teams to resolve issues during bulk production.
• Take responsibility for inspections, shipment follow-up, and smooth production execution.
• Maintain inventory control of in-house raw materials, fabrics, trims, and accessories.
• Communicate with vendors, buyers, suppliers, internal teams, and production units for all development and production matters.
• Take independent decisions wherever required to ensure timelines, quality, costing, and delivery are maintained.
• Prepare sourcing plans, execution trackers, and regular status reports for the category.

Required Skills

• Strong understanding of mens knits, casualwear, and winter wear categories.
• Good knowledge of knitted fabrics such as single jersey, pique, interlock, fleece, French terry, waffle, rib, jacquard, blended knits, and winter fabrics.
• Knowledge of garment washes, prints, embroideries, trims, accessories, and finishing processes.
• Strong experience in range development, sampling, costing, vendor follow-up, and production coordination.
• Ability to prepare TNA plans, order sheets, purchase orders, consumption sheets, and sourcing plans.
• Good understanding of quality standards, inspections, approvals, and shipment follow-up.
• Strong communication, negotiation, follow-up, presentation, and team management skills.
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of the complete product development cycle.

Qualification

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree/diploma in Fashion Design, Apparel Merchandising, Textile Design, or related field.
• NIFT, NID, Pearl, or similar design/fashion institute background preferred.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate should have strong merchandising experience in men's casualwear, especially knits and winter wear. He or she should be able to work closely with design, sourcing, vendors, production, and quality teams to ensure that every product is developed on time, within cost, and as per approved quality standards.