Balenciaga Shoes Collection Merchandising Director

Paris • France

Thursday, December 12, 2024

Balenciaga, a prestigious name in the fashion industry, was founded by Cristóbal Balenciaga in 1917. Known for its avant-garde designs and uncompromising standards, the brand has established itself as a leader in luxury fashion. Since 2001, Balenciaga has been a part of the Kering group, a global luxury conglomerate renowned for nurturing creativity and innovation across its portfolio of brands.

1. Develop and execute collection strategies across the Shoes category, ensuring alignment with brand vision, market trends, and customer demand.
2. Oversee the product lifecycle from initial concept through to end-of-season evaluations, ensuring collections align with market demand.
3. Conduct ongoing market research and competitive analysis to identify trends, product opportunities, and customer preferences.
4. Collaborate with Design, Collection Coordination, Product Development, Retail Merchandising, Demand Planning, and Supply Chain teams to ensure collections meet quality, timeline, and production standards.
5. Analyze sales data and customer feedback to refine collections, make in-season adjustments, and improve future product strategies.
6. Collaborate with Retail Merchandising, Pricing, and Finance teams to develop pricing strategies ensuring competitive positioning and profitability across regions.
7. Present seasonal collections to internal teams and key stakeholders, ensuring thorough communication of product stories, trends, and key strategies.
8. Conduct special projects, limited-edition collaborations, and brand initiatives to enhance the brand’s product offering and market presence.
9. Manage and develop the merchandising team, fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
10. Lead and drive the development of collections with Italian development and industrialization teams, focusing on calendars, briefings, development priorities, cost control, and continuous margin improvements.
11. Facilitate standardization with design and development to ensure quality, lead time, and margin objectives are met.
12. Control standardization prototypes before production launch.

1. Minimum 10 years of experience in merchandising within the fashion or luxury shoes industry segment.
2. Proven ability to develop and implement product strategies.
3. Experience in leading and nurturing a high-performing merchandising team.

1. Sound knowledge of the current shoes market and consumer trends.
2. Excellent product sensitivity, analytical, and numeracy skills.
3. Strong communication skills and ability to present product vision and strategies clearly to stakeholders.
4. Ability to thrive in a fast-changing environment and adjust strategies as market demands evolve.

A professional with a minimum of 10 years in merchandising, specifically within the fashion or luxury shoes industry, demonstrating expertise in product strategy development and team leadership.

Balenciaga offers a stimulating and fulfilling workplace environment, fostering professional development within the House or the Kering group. Employees are empowered to create, build, and sustain high-performing teams.

Balenciaga values the uniqueness of each employee, fostering a culture of creativity, innovation, and collaboration. The company is committed to diversity and inclusivity, believing that a diverse workforce enriches both the workplace and client experience. As part of the Kering group, Balenciaga supports professional growth and development, encouraging employees to reach their full potential.