Manager, Fabric R&D

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

Benefits offered by this job

Merchandise discounts

401(k) matching

Summer Fridays

Generous PTO

Job summary

Centric Brands is seeking a Fabric R&D Manager to own material strategy across wovens, knits, and denim. You will translate seasonal concepts into viable fabric offerings, partnering with Design, Product Development, and Production to ensure quality, margin, and timely delivery.

Reporting to the SVP of Product Development and Technical Design, this role requires global supplier relationships, strong technical fabric knowledge, and readiness to travel domestically and internationally.

Qualifications

• Degree in Textile Science or related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 5-7 years of materials development or raw materials sourcing in apparel, with exposure to women's contemporary product.
• Hands-on expertise across wovens, knits, and denim including constructions, yarn systems, finishing, and wash.
• Deep technical knowledge of fiber content, fabric construction, dyeing and finishing processes, and textile testing standards.
• Proven costing and negotiation experience with domestic and overseas mills.

Responsibilities

• Lead seasonal fabric R&D across wovens, knits, and denim, from concept through bulk approval.
• Interpret mood, trend, and hand-feel direction into development targets with Design.
• Source, develop, and present fabric offerings balancing newness, core, and best sellers.
• Drive innovation in fabrications, finishes, washes, and constructions differentiating the brand.
• Build and maintain a curated seasonal color palette with Pantone standards.
• Identify and develop novelty and signature fabrications; manage exclusivity agreements.
• Build and manage relationships with mills, converters, and fabric agents globally.
• Negotiate pricing, minimums, lead times, and terms with stakeholders.
• Manage fabric development calendar with labs and mills to hit master calendar.
• Attend fabric trade shows and conduct mill visits as needed.
• Partner with QC/QA for testing protocols and end-use performance requirements.
• Review lab dips, strike-offs, and bulk submits; troubleshoot fabric issues with mills.
• Maintain fabric specs, construction, content, weight, width, and finishing standards in PLM.
• Ensure fabrics meet regulatory and testing requirements.
• Provide leadership with visibility into cost trends and supply risk.
• Advise Design on feasibility, cost, and hand alternatives early in concept phase.
• Present seasonal fabric direction in concept and line reviews.
• Communicate status, risks, and trade-offs clearly in proto and line reviews.
• Own and organize physical and digital fabric libraries; maintain records.

Skills

Fabric development

Sourcing

Negotiation

Color acumen

Calendar management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Textile Science degree

Tools

PLM software

Fabric sourcing platforms

Job description

About Us

Meet your closet’s newest favorites--a casually cool collection of wardrobe must-haves designed by the fashionably-sensitive sisters, Sara and Erin Foster. Go ahead, find your favorite.

The Fabric R&D Manager owns the material story behind the Favorite Daughter collection spanning hard and soft wovens, sweater yarns, cut and sew knits, and denim. Reporting to the SVP of Product Development and Technical Design as an individual contributor, this role sits at the intersection of Design, Product Development, and Production, translating seasonal concept direction into a fabric offering that is commercially viable, technically sound, and priced to margin.

Specific Responsibilities Would Include

Fabric Development & Sourcing

• Lead seasonal fabric research and development across wovens, knits, and denim, from concept through bulk approval
• Partner with Design at the front end of each season to interpret mood, trend, and hand-feel direction into actionable development targets
• Source, develop, and present seasonal fabric offerings that balance newness, seasonal core, and best sellers
• Drive innovation in fabrications, finishes, washes, and constructions that differentiate the brand among our competitors in the market
• Build and maintain a curated seasonal color palette with Pantone standards and internal color names, including seasonal core/carryover palates across styles and categories
• Identify and develop novelty and signature fabrications; manage exclusivity agreements where applicable

Mill & Vendor Management

• Build and manage relationships with international mills, converters, and fabric agents across key sourcing regions
• Negotiate pricing, minimums, lead times, and terms in partnership with Product Development and Production
• Manage the fabric development calendar with mills so lab dips, strike-offs, handlooms, knit-downs, and bulk yardage land on time to support the master calendar
• Attend domestic and international fabric trade shows and conduct mill visits as needed

Technical & Quality Ownership

• Partner with QC / QA Team for fabric testing protocols and standards; partner with Design and Technical Design for end use performance requirements for hand feel, weight, shrinkage, colorfastness, pilling, torque, growth, recovery, and durability
• Review and send approval comments for lab dips, strike-offs, handlooms, quality submits, and bulk submits
• Troubleshoot fabric-related quality issues in development and production and drive root-cause resolution with mills
• Maintain fabric specifications, construction, content, weight, width, and finishing standards in PLM
• Ensure all fabrics meet regulatory, compliance, and testing requirements

Costing & Margin

• Use commercial judgement on cost, negotiate to hit target margin without compromising quality or hand feel
• Propose material solutions to close costing gaps with suggestions for researched yarn substitutions, finishing alternatives, sourcing shifts
• Partner with Production and Sourcing on fabric liability, platform buys, and greige/yarn positioning to protect lead times
• Provide leadership with visibility into fabric cost trends, raw material market shifts, and supply risk

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Advise Design early on feasibility, cost, and hand alternatives before concepts are determined
• Present seasonal fabric direction in concept, line review, and adoption meetings
• Communicate development status, risks, and trade-offs clearly and proactively in seasonal Proto and SMS line review meetings
• Own and organize the physical and digital fabric library, including headers, hangers, swatch cards, and seasonal archives
• Maintain accurate, accessible fabric records so Design, Product Development and Production can self-serve

Our Best Fit Candidate Would Have

• Degree in Textile Science, Fashion Design, or a creative related field, or equivalent professional experience
• 5-7 years of materials development, or raw materials sourcing experience in apparel, with meaningful exposure to women's contemporary product
• Demonstrated hands-on expertise across wovens, knits, and denim, including constructions, yarn systems, finishing, and wash
• Deep technical knowledge of fiber content, fabric construction, dyeing and finishing processes, and textile testing standards
• Proven costing and negotiation experience with domestic and overseas mills
• Strong color acumen and the ability to evaluate lab dips and approve to standard
• Strong calendar management skills with the ability to juggle multiple categories and deadlines simultaneously
• Experience in a fast-paced, high-SKU-turn contemporary or premium denim environment
• Experience developing traceable material programs
• Familiarity with denim wash development and laundry partnerships
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed

Attributes

• Sense of urgency and ownership
• Clear, direct and organized written and verbal communication style
• Collaborative and solutions-oriented thinking
• Comfort with ambiguity and a fast pace

In return, we provide an industry-competitive salary, along with a comprehensive benefits plan (medical, dental, vision) that includes a matching 401(k), Summer Fridays, generous PTO, merchandise discounts, excellent career development opportunities, and a work environment that reflects our industry leadership. Our social impact program, Centric Cares, focuses on volunteerism to make a difference in communities we live and work in and our D&I committee is shaping the future of diversity, equity and inclusion at Centric Brands though workshops, resources and inspiring conversation.

Salary Range: $90,000-100,000

At Centric Brands, we believe our people are our greatest asset, and we seek to structure competitive compensation offers to ensure that we are able to attract and retain the best talent. Our job postings include an annual base salary range at the time of employment. The stated base salary range represents our good faith estimate as to what candidates are likely to expect, and we tailor our offers within the range based on several factors, including the selected candidate's educational and professional experience, industry knowledge, location, technical and communication skills, and other factors that may prove relevant during the selection process. Base salary is a part of a total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, annual bonus and other Centric Brands sponsored benefit programs.

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Centric Brands is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Please note that Centric Brands will only reach out to interview, make an offer of employment or conduct onboarding activities for candidates who have applied through our careers site. When interviewing for a position, the candidate experience will include live interaction, such as a video conference or telephone call, with a Recruiter and/or company employee(s). We will never ask for any money or payments from applicants at any point in the recruitment process. Be aware of suspicious recruitment activity. If you think you are a victim of an employment scam, you may contact your local law enforcement agency and/or visit the Federal Trade Commission website here: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams.