The Fit Technician role is key to developing and producing a top-quality product at a competitive cost for the company. Technical Designers should inspire innovation within construction/fit and work closely with product development to collectively make great apparel. This person must embody a balance of hard and soft skills needed to scale the department for growth: oversee grade standards, monitor vendor quality/consistency, fit cadence to ensure calendar dates are met and facilitate individual development plans within the team.
Duties / Responsibilities:
· Guides and monitors the fit process to ensure “intended fit” is met.
· Proactive approach to QC and evaluates potential QC issues pre-season and again at sample stages.
· Attending and leading fit sessions to relay fit comments to our overseas factories and ensure it is accurately executed.
· Involved in the final development stage of the products daily, checking the garments' fitting, measurements, and workmanship.
· Communicates daily with domestic & international vendors to supplement sourcing strategy, enhancing respected relationships for combined growth.
· Assesses vendor base performance related to fits to allocate appropriately based on strengths and quality.
· Tracks fit evolutions from factories.
· Works to improve fit and quality through review of customer’s comments, sales feedback, and understanding of competition.
· Collaborate with the merchandising team to analyze return rate reports and enhance carry-over products if necessary.
· Work closely with the Designer to ensure great-fitting products reflect the design intent.
· Create and maintain technical packages in company standard format with data accuracy in a neat and organized manner.
· Send tech packs to the corresponding vendors, including detailed garment measurements, construction, and BOM.
· Responsible for sending clear fit comments with illustrations to factories from 1st fit through TOP.
· Execute fit comments in a timely manner to ensure the fit sample review process stays on time with production timelines.
· Spec garments before all fittings. Take and track notes to ensure final fit, quality, and construction meets brand quality standards.
· Cross-examine the sample against style Tech Pack and previous fit samples to ensure comments have been corrected.
· Perform accurate measurements to ensure size grading standards are within tolerance levels for specific fabric types.
· Participate in fit sessions by fitting on a live model, recording comments, and communicating with the team and vendors.
· Maintain a shared file of all fit tech packs for design and production.
· Track and monitor execution to time-and-action calendar; record and track all packages, track fit and pre-production (PP) samples or other reference samples as required; keep an archive of fit samples.
· Analyze fit, construction, and workmanship issues and accurately communicate all PP and TOP corrects to factories overseas.
Qualifications/ Skills:
· Minimum 5 years of experience in fabrics and garment construction
· Minimum 5 years of experience in technical design and product development
· Minimum 5 years of experience in patterns.
· Minimum 5 years of experience in communicating with vendors overseas is required.
· Minimum 5 years of experience in Global markets regarding fit conversion, grade, and size charts.
· Degree in tech design, pattern-making, and equivalent work experience.
· Expertise in understanding fit, patterns, construction, measuring and evaluating samples, materials, workmanship, function, and production feasibility.
· Knowledge of benchmarking fit and quality standards against other key competitors to ensure best-in-class fit and construction.
· Detail-oriented with experience prioritizing and managing multiple tasks efficiently.
· Excellent Problem-solving skills.
· Must be team-oriented, open to taking direction, and able to work well under pressure.
· This role requires an experienced sourcing professional in the apparel industry with extensive knowledge of product development, production, and quality assurance.
· Ability to develop & implement strategies according to plans, monitor progress, and make the necessary adjustments to achieve objectives.
· Exceptional time management and organizational skills with the ability to multi-task in a fast-paced and changing environment. Strong planning skills with expertise in multitasking.
· Computer Skills: Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop, especially Microsoft 365.
· A strong written and verbal ability to establish trustworthy and durable relationships with suppliers and colleagues.