Fabric Developer
4 days ago
Hammersmith
Role Overview: Fabric Design, Research and Development Co-Lead the design and development process of all VBL Collection and Core fabrics Reporting to: Senior Fabric Developer & Buyer Location: Hammersmith, London Responsibilities: Fabric Design, Research & Development • Attend regular fabric creative research, development, FTS and fit meetings with Design Director and Design team, • Research and source new mills and suppliers for all fabrics according to seasonal briefs; continue to build and maintain strong partnerships with mills & textile agents, • Prepare the inspiration and directional fabric mood with presentation boards, • Create and develop all collection and core fabrics per VBL brief and Design Director’s requests ensuring prices, MOQ and lead times align with commercial viability, • Liaise daily with mills to launch and track fabric developments, trials, colour lab dips, colour corrections and sampling, ensuring quality standards and deadlines are maintained, • Maintain the print and texture developments with up-to-date boards & folders, • Maintain FTS analysis to ensure fabric usage and balance relates to sampling use, production friendly minimums and follows merchandisers request, • Attend fabric sourcing appointments in house, at mills and trade fairs as necessary, • Communicate fabric related information to design, product development, studio, merchandising and production teams using tracker overview, • Zedonk data entry for all fabric raw materials and developments per season, • Maintain up to date seasonal fabric development budgets as per Managers request, • Prepare all final fabric trackers, overviews and fabric reference binder for clear and accurate production ready handover, • Monitor and maintain seasonal fabric stock levels both in-house and with mills, • Manage the seasonal upkeep of all fabric archives, • Maintain clear and accurate fabric rails labelled for all meetings, • Help keep fabric rolls organized, tidy and labelled in studio Production • Collaborate with Production team regularly, communicating developments of seasonal fabrics to ensure smooth transition from development to production., • Advise Production team on any fabric bulk approvals when necessary. Essential Skills & Requirements: • Strong knowledge of fabrics and construction, • Ability to maintain strong communicative relationships with all suppliers, • Excellent organisational, problem-solving and time management skills, • Ability to work well under pressure and meet critical deadlines, • Proactive approach and self-motivated nature with the ability to prioritise and work independently, • Strong, creative and meticulous eye for detail, • Positive attitude and flexible, adaptable approach to all tasks at hand