Our client is seeking a highly creative, commercially minded Manager of Trend & Retail Concept to help shape the future vision of a girls' lifestyle brand. This individual must have foundational training as a designer but will be responsible for identifying emerging fashion, lifestyle and retail trends; conducting ongoing competitive and market research; and translating global inspiration into relevant, actionable ideas for the U.S. girls' market.  The role will include European trend and retail research, including competitive analysis of influential brands and retailers across the UK, France, Spain, Italy and other key European markets.  Beyond product trend, this individual will have a strong understanding of the physical retail environment, including floor layouts, product adjacencies, fixturing, visual presentation and storytelling.  The goal is not simply to identify trends, but to determine how those ideas can be interpreted for the U.S. consumer in a way that is aspirational, age-appropriate and commercially viable. The ideal candidate is a fashion merchant and trend thinker who is constantly looking at what's next.  They may come from a girls', juniors', contemporary, fast-fashion or specialty retail environment and should naturally think across product + trend + merchandising, rather than viewing each area independently.  Most importantly, this person needs to understand the difference between inspiration and imitation.  They should also have a strong point of view around the physical shopping experience, from what product belongs together and where it should sit on the floor, outfitting, color stories and visual moments can make the assortment feel exciting and new.

• This role is in office and will work within the Design department.  The salary range is approximately $130,000.

Responsibilities:

Global Trend & Inspiration

• Identify emerging fashion, color, print, silhouette, fabric, styling and lifestyle trends relevant to the girls' market.
• Conduct ongoing global research across fashion, retail, social media, street style, culture and consumer behavior.
• Develop seasonal trend direction and inspiration that can inform Design, Merchandising, Buying and Retail teams.
• Distill broader women's and youth fashion trends into ideas that feel appropriate and compelling for the girls' customer.
• Balance fashion-forward thinking with an understanding of what will resonate commercially within the U.S. market.
• Regularly research and analyze influential European brands and retail concepts.
• Track fashion direction, merchandising concepts, store environments, product presentation, price architecture and emerging retail ideas.
• Study relevant European players such as Zara Kids, Mango Kids, H&M Kids, Next, River Island, Monsoon, Marks & Spencer, Petit Bateau and other fashion-forward children's and youth concepts.
• Identify ideas that can be interpreted for the U.S. market rather than simply replicated.
• Create clear competitive recaps following market trips, identifying both immediate opportunities and longer-term directional trends.

Competitive Intelligence & Mapping

• Build and continually evolve a competitive landscape across U.S. and international girls' brands.
• Monitor competitors across product assortment, fashion positioning, pricing, promotional activity, store experience and visual presentation.
• Conduct regular store visits and competitive shopping within key U.S. markets.
• Identify whitespace opportunities and areas where the brand can differentiate itself.
• Create competitive maps and seasonal reports that clearly communicate where the market is moving and where opportunities exist.
• Partner with teams on the development and evolution of the in-store experience.
• Provide direction around floor layouts, product adjacencies, fixturing, merchandising density and visual presentation.
• Consider how merchandise should be grouped and presented to create strong fashion stories while maintaining ease of shopping for both girls and parents.
• Help develop compelling seasonal floor sets and merchandising concepts that bring product stories to life.

Product & Merchandising Partnership

• Input into line assortment to translate macro trends into actionable seasonal product designs.
• Provide insights around emerging categories, key items, color, print, styling and outfitting opportunities.
• Help ensure that product development and in-store storytelling are connected from the beginning of the season.
• Partner with Merchandising to determine how key fashion messages should be emphasized by category, collection and delivery.
• Bring a strong consumer lens to trend direction, understanding the difference between an interesting trend and one that can become a meaningful commercial opportunity.

Consumer & Cultural Insights

• Maintain a deep understanding of the evolving girls' consumer, including the influence of fashion, entertainment, social media, beauty, sports and lifestyle trends.
• Understand the important relationship between the girl as the end consumer and the parent as the purchaser.
• Identify cultural shifts influencing how girls discover brands, engage with fashion and expect to experience retail.
• Translate these insights into meaningful recommendations across product, merchandising and store experience.

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in trend, merchandising, retail concept, fashion design, creative direction or a related discipline, ideally within girls', juniors', kids' or youth-oriented fashion.
• Strong understanding of the girls' apparel and lifestyle market and the competitive landscape.
• Meaningful experience pulling and compiling European and international trend research and competitive shopping and putting that into a design product story.
• Demonstrated ability to take inspiration from European fashion and retail and translate it appropriately for the U.S. consumer and retail environment.
• Strong fashion instincts combined with commercial judgment.
• Ability to recognize emerging trends early and determine which have relevance and longevity for the target customer.
• Excellent visual communication and presentation skills, with the ability to create compelling trend and competitive research presentations.
• Strong understanding of product merchandising, assortment architecture and seasonal storytelling.
• Highly collaborative and comfortable partnering with Design, Merchandising, Buying, Marketing and Retail leadership.

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