Hiring: Head of Apparel (Senior Director)

Location: Bangalore

Experience: 10-15 Years

Industry: Sportswear | Activewear | Performance Apparel

About the Role

We are looking for an accomplished apparel leader to head the Apparel business for a rapidly scaling sportswear platform.

This is a high-impact leadership role with end-to-end ownership of apparel strategy, product creation, sourcing, category growth, and business performance.

The role will be responsible for building and scaling a differentiated apparel business across design, product development, sourcing, merchandising, and go-to-market execution.

The successful candidate will combine strong product instincts with commercial acumen and operational excellence to drive sustainable growth and category leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Category Leadership

- Define and drive the overall apparel category strategy aligned with business objectives and growth plans.

- Own category vision, product roadmap, assortment architecture, and seasonal planning.

- Identify market trends, consumer insights, and whitespace opportunities to build differentiated product offerings.

- Drive innovation across performance apparel, athleisure, activewear, and sportswear segments.

Design & Product Development

- Lead end-to-end product creation from concept development through commercialization.

- Partner with design teams to develop consumer-centric and market-relevant collections.

- Ensure product excellence across functionality, fit, quality, aesthetics, and commercial viability.

- Oversee product lifecycle management and seasonal development calendars.

Sourcing & Supply Chain Leadership

- Develop and manage strategic sourcing partnerships across domestic and international vendor ecosystems.

- Drive sourcing efficiency, cost optimization, quality improvement, and speed-to-market.

- Build scalable sourcing capabilities to support business growth and category expansion.

- Ensure compliance with quality standards, sustainability requirements, and production timelines.

Go-To-Market & Commercial Execution

- Lead seasonal launch planning and go-to-market execution across channels.

- Collaborate with merchandising, marketing, sales, and retail teams to maximize product success.

- Drive category growth through effective pricing, assortment planning, and inventory strategies.

- Monitor product performance and implement corrective actions to optimize business outcomes.

Business & P&L Management

- Own category-level revenue, margin, inventory, and profitability performance.

- Develop annual business plans, forecasts, and growth roadmaps.

- Track key performance indicators and drive initiatives to improve category productivity.

- Balance consumer needs, brand objectives, and financial goals to maximize business impact.

Leadership & Team Development

- Build, mentor, and lead high-performing teams across design, product development, sourcing, and merchandising.

- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and execution excellence.

- Drive capability building and succession planning within the apparel organization.

- Partner with senior leadership to support long-term business growth initiatives.

Required Skills & Experience

- 10-15 years of experience across Apparel Design, Product Development, Merchandising, Sourcing, or Category Management.

- Strong experience within Sportswear, Activewear, Performance Apparel, Athleisure, or Lifestyle Apparel categories.

- Proven track record of leading cross-functional teams and delivering significant business growth.

- Strong understanding of apparel product creation, sourcing, manufacturing, and commercialization processes.

- Experience managing large-scale apparel categories and driving business performance.

- Deep knowledge of Indian consumer preferences, retail dynamics, and apparel market trends.

- Strong commercial acumen with experience managing revenue, margins, and category profitability.

- Excellent stakeholder management, leadership, and decision-making capabilities.

Preferred Experience

- Experience working with leading sportswear, performance apparel, activewear, or lifestyle brands.

- Exposure to vertically integrated business models encompassing manufacturing, brands, and retail.

- Experience managing domestic and international sourcing networks.

- Understanding of technical fabrics, performance materials, and apparel innovation.

- Exposure to omnichannel retail, D2C, and marketplace-led growth models.

Educational Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in Fashion Technology, Apparel Design, Textile Engineering, Retail Management, Business Administration, or a related discipline.

- NIFT, Fashion Management, or MBA qualifications will be an added advantage.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a product-driven business leader who combines strong apparel expertise with commercial and operational excellence.

You should have the ability to build winning product categories, lead high-performing teams, and drive significant business growth while shaping the future of a rapidly expanding sportswear platform