Product Developer

Who we are

Tomorrow is a multi-service business accelerator for fashion brands. The Group helps brands to develop and achieve sustainable growth through a fully-integrated service offering that includes consultancy, sales and distribution, investment, product development, manufacturing and operations.

Who we're looking for

One of our Investment Brands, Martine Rose, is looking for an immediate fixed term or freelancer product developer who will ensure the smooth running and handover of the ready-to-wear business development processes between design and production departments, upholding the season’s direction. This is a key position within the business managing product development and manufacturers of seasonal range plan and collection to pre-production stage, reporting directly to the Head of Product & Studio Manager.

What the day to day looks like

• Support on the building of the critical path.
• Support on the upkeep of the product range plan, to communicate allocated factories.
• Support on sourcing, and the realisation of raw materials required for collection.
• Sourcing of new partners and factories to the Martine Rose team.
• Build and manage the sample tracker.
• Attend handovers inhouse for all product categories – woven, tailoring, leather, denim, shoes, knit, accessories, to best allocate to the relevant partner factory. Within this, working closely with the Atelier Manager to realise which styles/patterns are best to launch in-house or direct to factory.
• Managing the booking and communication of timelines and capacity, to all factories and partners.
• Attending regular meetings with atelier and design teams to ensure technical information is accurate and covers the brief.
• Launch and follow tech packs with all product categories - working with Design and Production to establish achievable sampling deadlines, ensuring information of design, finishing, the BOM and any pattern/measuring information are correctly communicated.
• Follow the delivery of protos.
• Feasibility meetings throughout the season with fabric and product developer to effectively foresee; solve and communicate any development issues and liaise with external suppliers to further develop for consideration of smooth production.
• Attend fittings inhouse to relevant product categories, working closely with Design and the Atelier Manager to realise and comments.
• Communicating to sourcing any fabric changes, or challenges to address throughout the season.
• Actioning wash tests; dry clean tests and quality assurance processes to uphold superiority in terms of functionality of raw materials and garments when needed
• Monitoring and problem solving on any queries from factories until sign off.
• Entering of all raw materials and ratings for BOMs in Zedonk, whilst chasing and negotiating on CMT and FF costs.
• Counter-sampling to any new factories, to achieve best price, make and quality.
• Working closely with the team to ensure sampling critical path is followed and SMS samples are accurately and delivered on time for sales market and show.
• Checking returned SMS against specs, to ensure they are in tolerance, when needed.
• Handing over the collection to Sales with a handover and Joor
• Ensuring all tech packs are up to date at market handover, according to product.
• Support and attend development trips to manufactures and suppliers in collaboration with design, when required.
• Costing reviews of all categories pre-sales, with PD assistant - ensuring all information across Zedonk BOMs, ratings and the garment are correctly aligned.
• Attending Production fittings, ensuring all tech packs and BOMs are correctly up to date.
• Ensuring all emails from factories and suppliers are replied to within a reasonable time frame depending on query.

Role requirements

• Mid-level role with relevant product development experience
• Experience working with (ideally in) factories and a detailed understanding of manufacturing techniques.
• Excellent knowledge and use of Adobe package - InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop
• Excellent knowledge of PLM / PDM + MS office skills
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to work well under pressure
• Ability to work proactively, independently on multiple projects under tight timeframes