Fabric Director

Why J.McLaughlin?

Founded on the Upper East Side of New York City by brothers Jay and Kevin McLaughlin, J.McLaughlin was built on a simple idea: great style feels personal. From a single neighborhood shop to nearly 200 stores nationwide, we have always believed in being local and loyal—to our customers, our communities, and one another. Today, nearly 1,000 employees bring the brand to life across the country, from Maine to Maui.

For over 20 years, our corporate home has been in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where creativity, craftsmanship, and collaboration continue to shape our next chapter. Giving back is part of who we are. We support the communities we serve through local partnerships, charitable initiatives, and a belief that businesses should leave places better than they found them.

We are seeking a Director of Fabric to join our Product Development & Supply Chain team, reporting to the Chief Product Development & Supply Chain Officer
. This role is an integral member of our cross‑functional product teams while contributing to a collaborative, high‑performing, and values‑driven workplace. This position is primarily based in our Greenpoint, Brooklyn office.

• Lead the overall fabric strategy across Men’s, Women’s, and Accessories, ensuring alignment with brand aesthetic, performance requirements, margin targets, and seasonal design direction.
• Own fabric sourcing, development, and selection from concept through production, partnering closely with Design, Product Development, Production, Merchandising and Sourcing.
• Build and manage a balanced fabric portfolio (core, seasonal, novelty, sustainable), ensuring consistency, quality, scalability and commercial viability across categories.
• Manage mill relationships and vendor partnerships, both domestic and international, negotiating cost, lead times, minimums, and exclusivity where applicable.
• Ensure all fabrics meet quality, performance, compliance, and sustainability standards, including testing protocols, certifications, and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with Product Development and Design to drive cost engineering and margin optimization.
• Partner with Production on risk mitigation, particularly related to fabric availability, capacity, and price volatility.
• Lead fabric innovation and trend research, translating market insights into actionable fabric stories that support the brand’s long‑term vision and product strategy.
• Own and drive the fabric approval process, including lab dips, handlooms and production readiness sign‑off.
• Develop and maintain fabric libraries, standards, and documentation, ensuring institutional knowledge, consistency and efficient cross‑functional execution.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional partners to support calendar adherence and on‑time delivery.

• Collaborate cross‑functionally to support seasonal line planning and calendar alignment.
• Support issue resolution related to fabric quality, yield, performance, or delivery challenges during development and production.
• Contribute to long‑term sourcing and risk strategies, including vendor diversification and geographic balance.
• Participate in fittings, line reviews, and milestone meetings as needed.
• Travel occasionally to vendors, mills, factories, or other business locations, as required.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

• 10+ years of experience in fabric/textile development within the apparel industry, with multi‑category exposure (Men’s, Women’s, Accessories preferred).
• Proven leadership experience at a Director or Senior Manager level in a retail or specialty apparel environment.
• Deep technical knowledge of woven, knit, and specialty fabrics, including performance finishes and trims.
• Strong understanding of global sourcing, mill capabilities, and production realities.
• Demonstrated ability to balance design vision, cost, quality, and…