Director of Development & Production (Luxury Fashion)

About the role

We are seeking a senior leader to build and run the new Milan development and production hub for a fast‑growing luxury womenswear brand. Reporting directly to the Founder and Creative Director, you will own the full product lifecycle from design hand‑over to final delivery, ensuring the brand’s high‑end standards are met.

Key responsibilities

• Lead end‑to‑end development and production across ready‑to‑wear categories, managing the critical path from design to delivery.
• Establish and nurture relationships with Italian and European factories, overseeing craftsmanship, costing, and quality control.
• Negotiate costing for development and bulk production while balancing quality, margin and timelines.
• Oversee fit approvals, sampling, production schedules and rigorous quality inspections.
• Build and manage the Milan team, including Product Development, Technical Design and Production functions.
• Implement operational processes, communication structures and tracking systems to drive efficiency.
• Collaborate closely with Design, Creative, Merchandising and Logistics teams to align production with brand vision and inventory needs.

Required profile

• 12+ years of experience in luxury product development and/or production.
• Deep knowledge of Italian manufacturing, luxury construction standards and artisan processes.
• Proven track record managing full development and production functions, including critical‑path management, factory oversight, costing and quality control.
• Strong leadership skills with experience building high‑performing teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management across creative and operational functions.
• Fluent in Italian and English.

Required skills

• Costing negotiation
• Quality control processes
• Production timeline management
• Fit approval and sampling coordination
• Operational process design