Senior Fabric R&D Manager

Brooks Brothers

. Provide seasonal fabric direction and market intelligence for Brooks Brothers, translating design intent, tailoring needs, and luxury material trends into actionable fabric strategies .

Posted 9/29/2026full-timeNew York City • New York • United StatesSenior💰 $106,920 - $115,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Expertise in fabric sourcing and development, with a strong focus on premium and luxury materials, quality standards, and supplier negotiations. Proven leadership in managing seasonal workstreams and cross-functional collaboration to ensure timely and high-quality fabric solutions.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Fabric SourcingLuxury Fabric DevelopmentSupplier NegotiationQuality Standards ManagementPLM System Knowledge

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Fabric ConstructionTechnical Fabric DevelopmentCost BenchmarkingTesting MethodsSustainability RequirementsTailored WovensFine WoolensCashmereSilkBlends

Soft Skills

Detail-OrientedAnalyticalCollaborativeOrganizationalLeadership

Industry Keywords

TextilesFashionProduct DevelopmentGlobal Sourcing StrategiesResponsible Material SourcingMarket IntelligenceFabric StandardsMill StrategySeasonal Fabric LibrariesCross-Functional Collaboration

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Provide seasonal fabric direction and market intelligence for Brooks Brothers, translating design intent, tailoring needs, and luxury material trends into actionable fabric strategies
Source, evaluate, and develop premium and luxury fabrics with mills and suppliers, focusing on tailored wovens, fine woolens, cashmere, cotton, linen, silk, and sophisticated blends
Lead seasonal fabric development from initial concept through approval and production
Ensure fabrics meet Brooks Brothers standards for hand feel, drape, appearance, construction, performance, and consistency
Build and execute a focused mill strategy and fabric mill matrix
Benchmark fabric pricing and negotiate with suppliers to achieve appropriate value
Oversee core and carryover fabric platforms, seasonal fabric libraries, and counter-source strategies
Maintain and govern development charts, master fabric menus, and fabric standards
Establish and uphold quality requirements, including construction standards, testing protocols, color consistency, performance, finishing, and production approval
Troubleshoot fabric construction, finishing, testing, and quality issues; lead root-cause analysis and resolution
Support fabric-related quality issues in bulk production, ensuring investigation, corrective action, and consistent execution
Own the integrity of fabric data in PLM, including development submissions, fabric specifications, standards, and approvals
Lead and develop team members as applicable, setting priorities, coaching execution, and ensuring on-time seasonal deliverables
Support sustainability and responsible sourcing initiatives through preferred fibers, traceable materials, and responsible material solutions

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree preferred, or equivalent relevant experience in textiles, fashion, product development, sourcing, or a related field
10–15 years of experience in fabric sourcing, fabric resource development, and technical fabric construction, including direct experience sourcing fabrics for tailored, premium, or luxury product
Strong knowledge of premium and luxury fabric construction, including woolens, worsteds, cashmere, fine cottons, linens, silks, blends, finishing, quality standards, and testing methods
Deep understanding of global raw material markets and cost drivers; proven strength in cost benchmarking, supplier negotiations, and value creation while protecting product quality
Established relationships with specialist global mills and suppliers capable of producing high-quality tailored and elevated fabrics
Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional partners including Design, Product Development, Technical Design, Sourcing, Quality, and CBSO teams
Proven people leadership experience with the ability to manage multiple seasonal workstreams and maintain a high level of detail and follow-through
Highly organized, detail-oriented, analytical, collaborative, and comfortable making quality and sourcing decisions in a fast-paced environment
PLM system knowledge preferred
Working knowledge of global sourcing strategies, trade considerations, sustainability requirements, and responsible material sourcing preferred
Italian language skills preferred, particularly for communication with Italian mills, suppliers, and sourcing partners