Maison Margiela Collection Merchandiser — Shoes
Maison Margiela seeks a Collection Merchandiser — Shoes in Paris to lead footwear collection strategy, product development and cross‑functional merchandising.
Overview
Maison Margiela is a Paris‑based avant‑garde fashion house, recognized for its conceptual approach to design and deconstructed aesthetics. The Maison forms part of the OTB group and operates across haute couture, ready‑to‑wear, footwear, accessories and fragrance, combining artisanal savoir‑faire with experimental creativity.
Role & Responsibilities
- Define the seasonal footwear collection architecture from brief to showroom, aligning with artistic direction and Maison priorities.
- Build a balanced, differentiated offer (core and seasonal) that ensures desirability, coherence and market impact.
- Develop precise, inspiring collection briefs and drive product development in close collaboration with Creation, Development and Production.
- Manage product lifecycle and continuously optimise the offer for commercial performance and brand integrity.
- Define buying strategy with Central Merchandising and regional teams; select main orders and the core permanent offer.
- Conduct sell‑out, sell‑through and best‑seller analyses (weekly, monthly, seasonal) to inform assortment and replenishment decisions.
- Define worldwide sales strategy and calendar in partnership with regional teams.
- Set pricing strategy aligned with Maison positioning; secure collection profitability through margin management and cost trade‑offs.
- Lead collection performance analysis (sell‑in, sell‑out, margins) and consolidate market feedback to extract actionable insights.
- Orchestrate cross‑functional coordination between Creation, Development, Production, Finance, Retail and Wholesale; represent merchandising at showrooms and buying sessions.
- Ensure excellence of product storytelling and collection tools; support go‑to‑market execution through training and merchandising collateral.
- Contribute to high‑value transversal projects and champion innovation, detail and executional excellence.
Qualifications
- Minimum 3 years' experience in collection merchandising, preferably within footwear or luxury fashion.
- Strong product sensitivity and deep knowledge of the shoes sector and luxury fashion culture.
- Strategic vision combined with rigorous analytical capabilities and commercial awareness.
- Proven ability to lead cross‑functional initiatives and influence stakeholders across creative and commercial teams.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office; high standards of execution and attention to detail.
- Fluent French and English; Italian is a plus.
- Comfort working in demanding, fast‑evolving environments.
Skills
Experience
At least 3 years of hands‑on experience in collection merchandising or product planning within luxury fashion, with demonstrable exposure to footwear assortment, buy selection and commercial performance analysis.
Education
Bachelor's degree in Fashion, Business, Merchandising or a related discipline preferred.
Workplace
This position is based in Paris, Île-de-France, France. Cerulean lists 3.407 open roles in Paris, including 167 posted recently. The broader Île-de-France area accounts for 3.839 active listings on Cerulean, 193 of which are new. In France as a whole, Cerulean currently features 4.411 open positions, with 236 posted this week.
Culture
Maison Margiela cultivates an experimental, detail‑driven environment where conceptual design and craftsmanship coexist with commercial discipline. As part of the OTB group, teams are collaborative and cross‑disciplinary, with high expectations for creative integrity, analytical rigour and executional excellence.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Maison Margiela, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Footwear Collection Merchandiser», «Footwear Range Planner», «Collection Planner — Shoes», «Product Merchandiser — Footwear», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.