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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. Coordination with Internal Teams

Work closely with:
- Design Team – fabric selection and current 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

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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

📌 Sourcing Fabric Manager (Noida)
🏢 Fashionc Overseas Exports
📍 Noida