Job Description

Role Overview

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The Creative Lead – Western Wear will define and drive the creative vision, textile innovation, and product development strategy across men’s, women’s, and kids’ western wear categories .

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The role translates brand ethos, craft heritage, and contemporary trends into commercially viable collections , ensuring alignment with merchandising strategy, costing targets, and business objectives .

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The position leads a cross-functional team of textile designers, fashion designers, and product development merchants , guiding the entire process from conceptualisation and trend direction to range development, costing alignment, jury presentation, and final product handover for production and launch .

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Position Objective

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- Provide creative leadership and strategic design direction for the western wear categories.n
- Drive innovative textile and apparel design development aligned with Fabindia’s craft heritage and market positioning.n
- Ensure commercially successful collections through strong range planning, costing discipline, and trend relevance .n
- Lead end-to-end design processes , including concept development, sampling, range presentation, and production handover.n
- Manage and mentor design and product development teams to deliver high-quality, timely collections.n

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Key Responsibilities

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1. Creative Direction & Trend Strategy

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- Define the seasonal creative vision for western wear across categories.n
- Lead trend research including colour, fabric, silhouette, craft, and surface development trends.n
- Translate fashion trends and indigenous craft narratives into relevant seasonal themes.n
- Develop seasonal design strategy documents outlining concept, colour palette, materials, and styling direction.n
- Ensure creative consistency across all product categories while maintaining brand identity.n

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2. Market & Consumer Insights

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- Conduct market visits and competitor mapping to understand product positioning and design opportunities.n
- Analyse consumer behaviour, sales feedback, and retail insights to guide design decisions.n
- Review previous season sell-through reports to identify successful products and areas of improvement.n
- Collaborate with PH’s, sales, retail, and merchandising teams to incorporate market intelligence into product development.n

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Range Planning & Collection Development

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- Lead seasonal range development across categories based on option plans and business targets .n
- Develop range architecture ensuring balance across price points, categories, and styles.n
- Create range projection sheets with clear design direction and commercial viability.n
- Oversee concept boards, mood boards, colour stories, and styling narratives for each collection.n

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4. Textile Innovation & Product Development

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- Guide textile designers in developing fabrics, prints, weaves, and craft techniques aligned with seasonal themes.n
- Work with artisans and sourcing teams to develop unique textile bases and surface treatments .n
- Ensure textile innovation while maintaining cost feasibility and scalability .n

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5. Product Engineering & Cost Management

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- Work closely with PD merchants and scm teams to align product development with target costing and margin expectations .n
- Ensure product engineering and value optimisation without compromising design integrity.n
- Review first costings and BOM details to ensure alignment with business margins.n
- Guide teams on material selection, construction methods, and finishes to achieve desired cost and quality.n

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6. Sampling & Development Process

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- Oversee sample development across categories , ensuring design accuracy and quality.n
- Manage fit development, pattern approvals, and construction detailing .n
- Coordinate with PD teams to ensure timely development and sampling schedules .n
- Approve final prototypes before production readiness .n

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7. Team Leadership & Cross-functional Coordination

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- Lead and mentor textile designers, fashion designers, and PD merchants .n
- Facilitate effective collaboration between design, merchandising, sourcing, and production teams .n
- Ensure explicit communication of design intent and technical details throughout the development process.n
- Manage timelines and deliverables across the design lifecycle.n

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Range Presentation & Jury Preparation

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- Prepare seasonal range presentations for internal design and merchandising reviews.n
- Lead jury preparation including curated collections, storytelling, mood boards, and key styles.n
- Present design concepts, innovation, and product strategy to leadership and buying teams .n
- Refine collections based on jury feedback and business alignment .n

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9. Production Handover & Launch Readiness

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- Ensure complete design documentation and spec sheets for production teams.n
- Oversee the handover process from design to production ensuring clarity in fabrics, trims, finishes, and technical details.n
- Monitor initial production samples to maintain design intent and quality standards.n

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10. Brand Building & Creative Communication

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- Collaborate with marketing teams on seasonal storytelling and brand narratives .n
- Support development of lookbooks, campaign direction, and styling guidance .n
- Contribute to visual merchandising concepts and retail storytelling .n

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Qualifications & Experience

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Education

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Bachelor’s Degree in Design (preferably from National Institute of Fashion Technology ) or equivalent.

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Experience

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- 12–15 years of experience in western apparel design and product development n
- Proven experience leading multi-disciplinary design teams n
- Strong exposure to textile development and craft-based design n

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Key Skills & Competencies

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Creative & Design Skills

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- Strong western design sensibility and textile understanding n
- Ability to translate craft heritage into modern fashion n
- Expertise in trend forecasting and range building n

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Commercial & Strategic Skills

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- Understanding of fashion business and merchandising strategies n
- Ability to balance creativity with cost and margin targets n
- Strong range planning and product architecture capability n

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Leadership & Collaboration

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- Team leadership and mentorshipn
- Cross-functional coordinationn
- Strong communication and presentation skillsn

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Technical Knowledge

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- Textile development and surface designn
- Garment construction and product engineeringn
- Sampling and fit developmentn
- Costing and margin managementn

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Interested candidates please share resume at [email protected]

📌 Creative Lead - Western Wear (Haryana)
🏢 FABINDIA
📍 Haryana