Torchora
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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Fashion Manager

💰 $75,000 - $150,000+

FashionRetailManagementMerchandisingBrand Management

🎯 Role Definition

As a Fashion Manager, you are the central creative and commercial force behind a brand or category. You are a tastemaker, a strategist, and a business leader, responsible for translating runway trends and cultural shifts into profitable, desirable collections. This role requires a unique blend of analytical rigor and creative intuition, where you will own the entire product lifecycle, from initial concept and trend forecasting to in-store execution and sales performance analysis. You will lead cross-functional teams, manage significant budgets, and ultimately shape the brand's identity and commercial success in a fast-paced, competitive market. We're seeking a visionary leader who can anticipate what the customer wants next and bring that vision to life.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Assistant Buyer / Associate Buyer
  • Brand Coordinator / Assistant Brand Manager
  • Senior Merchandiser
  • High-Performing Retail Store Manager

Advancement To:

  • Fashion Director / Creative Director
  • Head of Merchandising / Buying Director
  • General Manager of a Brand or Division
  • Vice President of Brand Management

Lateral Moves:

  • Product Development Manager
  • E-commerce Category Manager
  • Senior Marketing Manager (Fashion/Retail)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop and execute comprehensive seasonal merchandising and buying strategies that align with the brand's financial targets and creative vision.
  • Conduct in-depth market analysis, competitive landscape reviews, and trend forecasting to identify new product opportunities and drive assortment innovation.
  • Manage the complete product lifecycle, from initial concept and design brief through to product development, sourcing, and final delivery to market.
  • Own the Open-to-Buy (OTB) process, meticulously planning and managing inventory levels to maximize sales, margin, and sell-through while minimizing markdowns.
  • Curate and build compelling, balanced product assortments for all channels (retail, e-commerce, wholesale) that reflect the brand's aesthetic and meet customer needs.
  • Establish and negotiate pricing strategies, including initial markups and promotional cadences, to achieve profitability and gross margin goals.
  • Lead and mentor a team of buyers, merchandisers, and assistants, fostering a collaborative, high-performance culture and supporting their professional development.
  • Analyze weekly, monthly, and seasonal sales data to identify key trends, risks, and opportunities, and develop actionable strategies to react to business performance.
  • Collaborate closely with design and product development teams to ensure product lines are commercially viable, on-brand, and delivered on schedule.
  • Partner with marketing, visual merchandising, and PR teams to create cohesive go-to-market strategies and compelling brand storytelling for new collections.
  • Foster and maintain strong, strategic relationships with a global network of vendors, suppliers, and manufacturing partners to ensure quality, cost, and delivery standards are met.
  • Lead key product presentations and assortment reviews with senior leadership, clearly articulating the seasonal strategy and rationale behind product decisions.
  • Oversee all aspects of product category P&L, taking full accountability for driving top-line sales and bottom-line profitability.
  • Travel domestically and internationally for market appointments, trade shows, and vendor meetings to source new products and stay ahead of emerging trends.
  • Drive the digital merchandising strategy, ensuring optimal product presentation, categorization, and storytelling on the e-commerce platform.

Secondary Functions

  • Develop and deliver product knowledge training materials for retail and customer service teams to ensure they are experts on the collection.
  • Manage the sample process, ensuring samples are tracked, organized, and available for photoshoots, marketing events, and showroom appointments.
  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to uncover deeper insights into customer behavior and product performance.
  • Contribute to the organization's long-term data strategy and roadmap, particularly regarding merchandising and inventory systems.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements for new reporting tools and dashboards.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team to improve merchandising analytics capabilities.
  • Monitor and report on sustainability and ethical sourcing initiatives within the supply chain, ensuring compliance with company standards.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • P&L and Budget Management: Deep understanding of financial metrics with proven ability to manage a category's profit and loss statement.
  • Inventory Management & OTB Planning: Expertise in managing Open-to-Buy, forecasting inventory needs, and optimizing stock levels.
  • Market & Trend Analysis: Ability to synthesize qualitative and quantitative data from market research, trend services (like WGSN), and competitive analysis.
  • Advanced Excel Proficiency: Mastery of Excel for complex data analysis, sales forecasting, pivot tables, and financial modeling.
  • Merchandising & PLM Software: Proficiency with retail merchandising systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle Retail) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software.
  • Visual Merchandising: Strong understanding of visual merchandising principles and how they translate from concept to in-store or online execution.
  • Vendor Negotiation & Sourcing: Proven track record of successfully negotiating costs, terms, and delivery with domestic and international suppliers.

Soft Skills

  • Commercial Acumen: An innate understanding of the fashion market and the ability to make commercially-driven decisions that are also on-brand.
  • Leadership & Team Development: Inspiring leader with the ability to motivate, mentor, and develop a high-performing team.
  • Exceptional Communication & Presentation Skills: The ability to articulate a clear vision and strategy to diverse audiences, from creative teams to C-level executives.
  • Strategic & Creative Mindset: A unique balance of analytical thinking for business planning and a creative eye for product and trends.
  • Adaptability & Resilience: Thrives in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment and can pivot strategies quickly in response to changing market dynamics.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: A natural collaborator who can build strong relationships and influence stakeholders across design, marketing, finance, and operations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

  • Master's Degree (e.g., MBA with a focus on retail, Master's in Fashion Management or Merchandising)

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Fashion Merchandising or Management
  • Business Administration
  • Marketing
  • Finance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 5-10 years of progressive experience in fashion buying, merchandising, or brand management.

Preferred:

  • Experience within a specific market segment (e.g., luxury, contemporary, fast fashion).
  • A proven track record of managing a category with significant revenue responsibility.
  • Experience working with both brick-and-mortar retail and e-commerce channels.
  • International market experience is highly desirable.
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