Director, Fabric R&D, Material Innovation
Core
Lead an R&D Materials team to translate brand aesthetic into executable material strategies, serving as a strategic partner to Design to create and evolve fabrics that bring design intent to life.
Role type
Director, Fabric R&D and Material Innovation
Builds
Seasonal fabric strategies, new fabric constructions, finishes, and dye techniques that support brand creative direction and commercial success.
Domain
Fashion / Textile Engineering / Sustainable Materials
Required skills
Textile development expertise, fabric constructions, dye techniques, finishes, global manufacturing and sourcing processes, team leadership, cross-functional partnership, sustainability integration, strategic thinking, cost engineering.
Preferred skills
Experience with emerging digital tools for textile research, mill network strategy execution, global travel for supplier initiatives.
Technologies
Digital innovation platforms for textile research and material knowledge management.
Responsibilities
Partner with Design to translate vision into seasonal fabric strategies; manage and mentor a team of R&D specialists; drive fabric innovation by identifying new constructions and finishes; track fabric development KPIs and maintain the fabric and wash resource library; collaborate with Mill Management to optimize quality, margin, and scalability; integrate sustainable materials and processes into seasonal strategies.
Seniority
Director, strategic leadership with hands-on technical direction