- Identify and source a diverse range of fabric materials from domestic and international mills/vendors, ensuring they meet the company's quality standards, sustainability goals, and cost-efficiency targets.
- Stay updated on industry trends, new mills, market dynamics, and emerging technologies in fabric sourcing and manufacturing processes. Utilize this knowledge to identify new opportunities for optimizing material sourcing strategies and enhancing product quality.
- Track fabric testing report and the development testing assessment tool to level set expectations across functional areas.
- Partner with PD&S team and design to ensure that fabrics are within pricing architecture & required quality parameters.
- Maintain open and frequent communication with design, PD&S, and CAI on all issues related to material costing, quality, and supplier performance issues.
- Assist and ensure development is flowing within calendar timelines.
- Creates and maintains the fabric library at Roots (virtual and physical libraries).
- Creates the system on how to file fabrics.
- Physically assembles the fabric library and maintains and adds fabrics as needed.
- Creates a system for signing out materials.
- Collects initial preferred material required certificates by the supplier to support items adopted from the seasonal fabric assortment.
- Creates RMC for each fabric.
- Adds wear test samples to the wear test log.
- Adds the approved fabric contents into Momentis for use by the designers.
- Owned the ordering of SMS sample yardage and maintained the materials fabric log (SMS charts) by season to follow up on fabric requests and developments, including callouts as identified.
- Assists in setting up the seasonal supplier week twice a year.
- Bachelor's degree in Textile or fashion with 4-5 years experience in fabric development.
- Preferred knowledge of PFM( Preferred Fiber Materials) qualities with tracking chain of custody.
- Strong technical understanding of woven & knit fabrics.
- Ability to identify different fabric types, dyeing & printing processes to lead the costing discussion with mills.
- Experienced in working with different fabric mills and vendors in Asia.
- Self-starter, flexible thinker, and outstanding communicator, comfortable working cross-functionally.
- Ability to multi-task, attention to detail, excellent organizational and problem-solving skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office & Excel.
Materials Specialist - Toronto, Canada - Roots
Description
Roots is more than just an/the iconic Canadian retailer, we are a group of passionate employees who act with integrity, trust each other and do what is right. We work in a space where people can grow and develop, with a team of people who own results and are dedicated to seeing Roots win. We seek to build longstanding relationships with partners who share our commitment to maintaining high ethical standards of operation.
We are currently seeking a Materials Specialist who will seek inspiration from our roots, can commit to achieving results the right way and loves to think big to join us on our journey.
The Materials Specialist for Roots will be responsible for the following:
Top candidates for the Materials Specialist role will have the following:
Founded in 1973, Roots Canada is a publicly held Canadian lifestyle brand that sells apparel, leather bags, small leather goods, footwear and active athletic wear with over 100 retail stores in North America and Asia.