Designer, Fabric & Textile Construction (China)

Overview

The Fabric & Textile Construction Designer plays a key role in shaping the material direction and aesthetic identity for products in home décor, furniture, outdoor living, and pool categories. The role blends design creativity, technical textile knowledge, and consumer insight to create fabrics that deliver comfort, durability, and visual appeal.
You will work cross-functionally with global partners, design teams, sourcing, and product development — and regularly travel (50–70%) for vendor visits, shows, and market research.

Key Responsibilities

1. Product Brief & Design Development

• Translate product briefs into material concepts aligned with seasonal direction.

• Create detailed fabric proposals: construction, texture, pattern, color.

• Ensure materials meet quality, performance, and sustainability requirements for indoor/outdoor use.

• Partner with PD, sourcing, and engineering to ensure feasibility, cost alignment, and scalable production.

2. Design Language & Concept Direction

• Build and evolve a unified design language across categories.

• Maintain consistency while enabling innovation across markets and product families.

3. Consumer & Market Research

• Research lifestyle behaviors, consumer preferences, and regional insights.

• Collect market feedback to support product relevance and localization.

• Track competitors and innovation trends to identify opportunity gaps.

4. Trend & Material Exploration

• Research fabrics, finishes, colors, and silhouettes relevant to home and outdoor categories.

• Work with mills and vendors to develop new constructions and surface treatments.

• Stay updated on outdoor performance textiles, sustainable materials, and new technologies.

5. Creative Exploration (40%)

• Conduct self-driven experimentation with weaves, textures, coatings, and prints.

• Develop concept renderings to inspire new product direction.

6. Visualization & Communication

• Create high-quality digital mockups and visual renderings that represent fabric tactility.

• Present concepts clearly to sourcing, PD, and leadership teams.

• Collaborate with marketing/merchandising to ensure consistent storytelling.

7. Collaboration & Travel

• Coordinate closely with sourcing and PD to align design with supplier capability and cost targets.

• Travel extensively (50–75%) for sourcing, vendor visits, trade shows, and market research.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in fabric/material design for home décor, furniture, or outdoor living.

• Strong knowledge of woven/knit constructions, performance fabrics, printing & finishing.

• Ability to translate market and consumer trends into commercially viable designs.

• Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, CLO 3D, or equivalent visualization tools.

• Fluent English communication and presentation skills.

• Highly organized, proactive, and comfortable managing multiple global projects.

• Passion for innovation, sustainability, and craftsmanship.

Work Expectations

• Schedule: Monday–Friday.

• Preferred location: Near Shanghai, Ningbo, Suzhou, or Hangzhou.

• Frequent travel to vendors, mills, and exhibitions across China.

• Weekly Teams meetings with the U.S. team (morning or evening).