Vipin Kumar Sharma

• Led a team of 3 personnel in India and Bangladesh for fabric development & sourcing, Color approvals and Quality for Esprit,with an annual business volume of ~ USD 120 mn
• Initiate, lead, and commercialize fabric developments in line with Brand requirements. Orchestrate product development to commercialize new fabrics in South Asia-23 new fabrics adopted and commercialized for the Global core range across wovens and knits .
• Reduced operational costs by identifying inefficiencies and implementing cost-saving measures- Sampling time reduced by 25% by localizing sources for woven and flat-knit yarns,cost saving of 12% on annual fabric procurement.
• Led and supported the sustainability initiatives of the brands- All materials to have a sustainable attribute ,like BCI,Organic or Recycled.Sustainable dyeing expanded to vegetable dyeing and new energy efficient dyeing techniques
• Oversee product integrity and quality of all materials, covering brand standards ,regulatory requirements. Train and develop the team and vendors to adopt best practices and working procedures to align with Brand needs.

• Established working procedures for the fabric function and build the team to achieve timely development and bulk execution- Business volume ~ USD 20 mn -Integration of s.Oliver business in to the company. Hired and trained 2 personnel for fabric sourcing.
• Identify, develop, and establish core qualities for s.Oliver-8 qualities from the region approved and adopted in the core line .
• Set-up the protocol and testing regimen to ensure all mandatory testing is taken care of - established traceability and certification process for Brand marketing.

• Develop, build, and evaluate strategic supplier mix in line with Brand requirements and business growth- Brands responsible for-Polo Ralph Lauren, J.Jill, Boardriders, Urban Outfitters ,Primary,Hudson bay-with a business volume of USD 150 mn. Onboarded 23 mills,with 11 strategic ones.
• Initiate, lead, and commercialize all fabric developments in the region-Led a team of 5 personnel in India
• Localization of materials to drive cost advantage and faster lead time- 12 core fabrics for Polo Ralph Lauren adopted for global supply. Achieved annual business growth of 35% by product innovation.
• Oversee product integrity and quality of all materials, covering brand standards and regulatory requirements-Introduced sample testing and wear test for new materials/styles. Developed & adopted high-end fabrics from Turkey ,Korea,Taiwan and China.
• Work with the Brand teams on sustainable materials and certifications to lead the development and execution in the region- Supima certification and traceability .Organic supply chain management for the Brands

• Contributed to company growth by careful supplier selection based on performance criteria - Reduced vendors in Asia by 10 % for long lead time programs .Onboarded 5 vendors in Turkey and Eastern Europe for faster lead time programs
• Standardization and forecasting of fabrics and trims across brands- Built a material repository of core materials and their blocking for Quick Response Programs(QRP) -Established 7 core fabrics for women and 3 for Mens

• Standardization of materials and sources, across categories. Developed and rolled out the quality parameters for all materials- Developed quality manual for physical and chemical testing for all material types. Onboarded 11 suppliers for woven and knits
• Setting up the SOPs across categories on minimums and prices- Established terms of engagement with the fabric suppliers on sampling lead time,cost and minimums .

• Identify, evaluate, and set up the strategic mill matrix for VF brands in South Asia for in-country production and global shipping - Brands handled- The North Face,Timberland,Lee,Wrangler,VANS, Napapijri with a total business volume of USD 200 mn. Onboarded and established 23 mills in South Asia for VF Brands .
• Lead company initiatives on Responsible Sourcing and Sustainability in South Asia- Achieved 25%of BCI adoption within one year for Jeanswear brands, established Organic fabric supply chain for Timberland .Rollout and Implementation of the Higg Index module and Chem IQ with 9 key mills and vendors in South Asia
• Collaborate with the product development and design teams to develop and build new product categories from South Asia- Introduced denims for VANS for global supply. Sorona product range established for The North Face .5 core fabrics adopted for Timberland.19 core fabrics developed and commercialized for Lee and Wrangler from South Asia.
• Keep track and share updates on changing global dynamics on commodity prices and cost- components to drive product and process improvement-South Asia Lead for McKinsey project on fabric cost rationalization,posted savings of USD 7.5 mn in the region on annual fabric procurement .Star team award from the Company.
• Train and upgrade vendors and internal teams on processes, quality requirements, color control, and lab testing- Led a team of 5 personnel in South Asia

• Responsible for timely delivery, inspection, and quality of all materials.Led a team of 11 personnel for effective communication with stakeholders for timely replacements and quick problem resolution.Brands handled Next, Levi’s, GAP, Liz Claiborne, and Ann Taylor.
• Localized 15% of fabrics for better turnaround and cost.
• Established working procedures for efficient handling of imported fabrics. Important link on troubleshooting all material issues.

Responsible for quality fabric sourcing from India and overseas-Fabric utilization improvement to achieve 99% cut-ship ratio.

Preparation of development sampling and seasonal collections. Work with design teams to develop innovative materials as per brand requirements for Target,and GAP

Own the supplier allocation process to meet key performance parameters .

• Responsible for Sales administration, Marketing support, Production planning, Warehousing, and Logistics-Set up quality procedures for commercial functions- Authorized internal auditor by BIS and Management
• Set up Production Planning & Control function for greige and processed fabrics-Oversaw the complete supply chain function from raw materials to the final delivery of finished fabric to the customer.
• Handle market inquiries for techno-commercial feasibility. Support and plan monthly capacity as per the budgeted plan.