CMF Designer – Footwear

CMF Designer – Footwear

Location: NIBM, Pune
Experience: Relevant experience in knitwear/textile/fashion/material/industrial design
Gender: Female

Job Summary

We are looking for a creative and hands-on CMF Designer with strong knowledge of knitting, yarns, textiles, colours and material development to create innovative colour, material and finish concepts for footwear. The candidate should have practical experience operating knitting machines and related software and be interested in learning and developing footwear products.

Must-Have Skills
Graduate/professional in Knitwear, Textile, Fashion, Material, Industrial Design or related field.
Hands-on experience with knitting machines and knitting software.
Strong understanding of yarns, knit structures, machine settings and engineered knitting.
Experience in swatch development, knit studies and prototyping.
Knowledge of colour, material and finish (CMF) development.
Ability to research and develop colour palettes, yarn combinations, textures and material stories.
Interest in footwear, textiles, meshes, linings, reinforcements, trims and new materials.
Willingness to experiment, learn and work hands-on.
Strong creativity, curiosity and attention to detail.
Comfortable collaborating with design, product development, manufacturing and knitting vendors.

Key Responsibilities

Develop knit structures, yarn combinations, swatches and engineered knitting concepts for footwear uppers.
Create zonal upper concepts, upper maps, material directions and knit studies.
Develop colour palettes, colourways, material stories and surface treatments.
Research and explore knits, meshes, woven textiles, spacer fabrics, elastics, films, foams, linings and trims.
Create mock-ups, upper trials, samples and footwear prototypes.
Work closely with knit vendors, footwear designers, product developers, engineers and manufacturing partners.
Evaluate materials for comfort, durability, performance, manufacturability and aesthetics.
Conduct research on textile innovation, material technology, footwear trends and manufacturing techniques.
Maintain a structured library of yarns, knit techniques, swatches, materials, samples and supplier capabilities.
Prepare material boards, upper maps, technical drawings, colour references and vendor communication documents.
Support product development from concept and experimentation through prototype and production-ready stages.
Document experiments, prototypes, specifications and design learnings and present findings to the team.
Ideal Candidate

A hands-on, creative and detail-oriented designer who enjoys working with yarns, knitting, colours and materials, has a strong interest in footwear, and is eager to experiment with new techniques and materials.