Sourcing Fabric Manager

Role & responsibilities

Fabric Sourcing & Sampling Manager Roles & Responsibilities

1. Fabric Sourcing & Development

• Source suitable fabrics according to buyer requirements, design, tech pack and garment specifications.
• Source woven, knitted, denim, special/fashion fabrics and other required qualities.
• Identify and develop reliable fabric mills, manufacturers, traders and processors.
• Develop new fabric qualities based on seasonal trends and upcoming collections.
• Evaluate fabric on composition, GSM, width, construction, hand feel, drape, stretch, shrinkage and finish.
• Maintain a strong network of domestic and, where required, international fabric suppliers.

2. Sampling & Fabric Development

• Take ownership of fabric sampling and development from requirement to approval.

• Arrange and coordinate:

• Fabric swatches

• Handlooms

• Lab dips

• Strike-offs

• Print developments

• Yarn-dyed developments

• Sample yardage

• Coordinate with mills for new fabric developments and modifications.

• Ensure samples are developed as per design and buyer requirements.

• Work closely with Design, Sampling and Merchandising teams to select the right fabric for each style.

• Suggest alternative fabrics when the required quality is unavailable, costly or has a long lead time.

3. Fabric Costing & Negotiation

• Obtain quotations from multiple suppliers.
• Negotiate fabric price, MOQ, lead time, payment terms and development charges.
• Compare fabric options based on quality, price, availability and delivery.
• Support Merchandising in accurate garment costing.
• Identify opportunities for cost reduction without compromising quality.

4. Vendor Management

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with fabric suppliers and mills.

• Evaluate vendors based on:

• Quality

• Price

• Development capability

• MOQ

• Lead time

• Delivery performance

• Service

• Maintain an approved fabric vendor database.

• Develop backup suppliers for critical fabrics to avoid production delays.

5. Fabric Quality

• Ensure approved fabric standards are maintained from sample to bulk.

• Coordinate with Quality/Technical teams for fabric testing and inspection.

• Monitor:

• GSM

• Width

• Shade

• Shrinkage

• Colour fastness

• Pilling

• Stretch/recovery

• Bowing/skewing

• Fabric defects

• Hand feel

• Finishing

• Ensure bulk fabric matches the approved sample/standard.

6. Bulk Fabric Procurement & Follow-up

• Plan fabric requirements according to confirmed orders and production schedules.
• Coordinate with suppliers from PO placement to factory receipt.
• Follow up on greige, dyeing, printing, washing and finishing processes wherever applicable.
• Monitor production status and identify potential delays in advance.
• Ensure timely delivery of fabric to the factory.

7. Coordination with Internal Teams

Work closely with:

• Design Team – fabric selection and new developments
• Sampling Team – fabric availability and sample development
• Merchandising Team – buyer requirements, costing and approvals
• Production Team – fabric requirement and delivery planning
• Quality Team – fabric inspection and testing
• Stores/Warehouse – receipt and inventory coordination

8. Fabric Library & Documentation

• Maintain an updated fabric library/swatches.

• Maintain records of:

• Fabric codes

• Composition

• GSM

• Width

• Construction

• Supplier

• Price

• MOQ

• Lead time

• Approved samples

• Maintain fabric development and supplier history for future reference.

9. Market & Trend Research

• Keep updated with new fabrics, finishes, constructions and textile trends.
• Visit fabric markets, mills, exhibitions and suppliers to identify new developments.
• Research commercially viable fabrics suitable for the company's product categories.

10. Key Accountability

The Fabric Sourcing & Sampling Manager should be responsible for ensuring:

Right Fabric + Right Quality + Right Price + Right Supplier + Right Sample + Right Time

The role should ideally be someone who has strong fabric technical knowledge, good mill/vendor contacts, sampling/development experience and strong negotiation skills, rather than someone who only handles fabric purchasing. The Indian apparel-sector sourcing qualification also emphasizes fabric knowledge, supplier evaluation, negotiation, market knowledge and calculating fabric requirements.

Recommended designation

For your requirement, I would use:

Fabric Sourcing & Development Manager

or, if you want sampling to be clearly visible in the title:

Manager – Fabric Sourcing, Development & Sampling

Preferred candidate profile