Denim R&D Fabric Developer (Denim Material R&D)

Job Purpose
Develop and qualify denim fabric that meets design intention, buyer's quality standard, target cost and sustainability requirement, and manage the mill network.
Job Description
1. Fabric development
- Develop seasonal denim fabric with mills: yarn count/type (ring, open end, slub, core spun), weave, weight, stretch level, indigo/sulfur/black dyeing, finishing.
- Request and evaluate hanger, handloom, lab dip, bulk swatch; review shade, hand feel, surface texture and wash-down potential together with Washing part.
2. Mill sourcing & management
- Source and evaluate denim mills (Vietnam, China, Türkiye, Japan, Pakistan, etc.), manage price, MOQ, lead time, capacity and yearly nomination.
- Negotiate fabric price and support costing for merchandising / sales team.
3. Quality & testing
- Control key denim quality points: shrinkage, torque/skewness, growth & recovery, tensile/tear strength, crocking, color fastness, weight & width deviation.
- Manage physical test and 3rd party test report; analyze failure and set corrective action with mill before bulk fabric delivery.
- Confirm shade band and bulk fabric approval; handle claim and quality issue.
4. Sustainable material
- Develop eco fabric: recycled cotton/polyester, organic cotton, hemp, Tencel/Lyocell, BCI, low-impact indigo dyeing; manage certificate (GRS, OCS, OEKO-TEX, Higg).
5. Library & data
- Build and maintain fabric library, swatch card and fabric database (construction, price, mill, test result) and propose new material to design team.