Fabric Innovation Lead - Wovens, Knits & Denim

Centric Brands; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) matching

Summer Fridays

Merchandise discounts

Career development opportunities

Generous PTO

Job summary

Centric Brands in Los Angeles is seeking a Fabric R&D Manager to own the material story for the Favorite Daughter collection, spanning wovens, knits, and denim. You will partner with Design, Product Development, and Production to translate seasonal direction into viable fabric offerings, balancing cost, hand feel, and durability.

You will lead fabric development, sourcing, and vendor relationships with mills worldwide, manage lab dips and approvals, and drive costed margin while meeting calendar

Qualifications

• Degree in Textile Science, Fashion Design, or related field.
• 5–7 years of materials development or raw materials sourcing in apparel.
• Hands-on expertise across wovens, knits, and denim, incl. yarns, finishes, and washes.
• Deep knowledge of fiber content, fabric construction, dyeing, finishing, and testing.
• Proven costing and negotiation with mills, domestic and overseas.
• Strong color acumen and ability to evaluate lab dips and approve standards.
• Excellent calendar management with multiple categories and deadlines.
• Experience in fast-paced, high-SKU denim environments and traceable material programs.

Responsibilities

• Fabric Development & Sourcing: lead R&D across wovens, knits, denim from concept to bulk approval.
• Mill & Vendor Management: negotiate pricing, lead times, terms with mills and agents.
• Technical & Quality Ownership: ensure hand feel, weight, colorfastness, durability; review lab dips and submits.
• Costing & Margin: balance cost, margin targets, and quality; propose substitutions.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: advise Design on feasibility and present seasonal fabric direction; maintain fabric library.

Skills

Fabric development

Sourcing

Negotiation

Calendar management

Cross-functional collaboration

Color acumen

Education

Textile Science degree

Tools

PLM system

Pantone color library

Job description

Centric Brands in Los Angeles is seeking a Fabric R&D Manager to own the material story for the Favorite Daughter collection, spanning wovens, knits, and denim. You will partner with Design, Product Development, and Production to translate seasonal direction into viable fabric offerings, balancing cost, hand feel, and durability.

You will lead fabric development, sourcing, and vendor relationships with mills worldwide, manage lab dips and approvals, and drive costed margin while meeting calendar