About Mariel Abano
I am an Associate Materials Manager at Kohl’s, overseeing Active and Kids Knits. My interest in fashion business began with a desire to build a career that engaged both my analytical and creative sides. I began college as a Chemistry major, but after my first semester, I realized I wanted to pursue a field that would let me combine my analytical strengths with my passion for creativity and product. I earned a BS in Fashion Merchandising & Management from the University of Delaware, with minors in Sustainable Apparel & Textile Innovation and Business Management. Today, I execute global materials sourcing strategies for Kohl’s Private and Exclusive brands, delivering optimal supply chain value across quality, cost, speed, and on-time delivery. I am detail-oriented and technically proficient, with particular strengths in cost analysis, Excel, and process optimization.
My prior experience as a Sourcing Coordinator helped sharpen my skills in negotiation, data accuracy, and resourcefulness in fast-paced environments. Together, my work across Sourcing and Materials has given me a global perspective on sourcing strategy, from fabric to finished garment, while keeping me closely connected to both the product and the analytical side of the business. I apply this perspective to collaborate cross-functionally, make data-informed decisions, and ultimately deliver the best possible product for the Kohl’s consumer.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this interview are those of Mariel Abano and do not reflect the views or positions of her employer or any affiliated organizations.
Sheng: Can you briefly share your career path since graduating from UD? What was your first job after graduation, what different roles did you take on before your current position as a Material Manager, and what were some of the most important career transitions or experiences along the way?
Mariel: My career began as a Sourcing Coordinator, and the role provided a strong foundation in adaptability and working effectively in a fast-paced environment. Within my first year, I worked under three different managers and experienced several scope changes, beginning with woven bottoms and jackets, expanding into outerwear, and eventually growing further through a reorganization that placed me over all our NY brands for all wovens. This period was instrumental in building my technical skill set, particularly in negotiation, cost analysis, Excel, and process optimization. At the same time, I learned how to navigate change quickly while maintaining attention to detail and staying focused on execution.
As my scope expanded, I also gained valuable experience working with cross-functional teams that were not physically located in the same office, including teams in New York. Without being able to walk over to a colleague’s desk to discuss an issue or gather context, I needed to be more intentional about how I communicated and built relationships. I learned to over-communicate rather than under-communicate, ask clarifying questions early, and create strong virtual partnerships that still felt personal and collaborative. This experience reinforced the importance of investing in cross-functional relationships, particularly when working across distance and different functions. After a year and a half of navigating significant changes and developing these skills, I was promoted to Associate Materials Manager. This transition brought another opportunity to grow, as I moved into the materials team and shifted my focus from wovens to knits, expanding my expertise and allowing me to take on a new set of responsibilities within the sourcing organization.
Sheng: What are your main responsibilities as a Materials Manager for Active and Kids’ Knits at Kohl’s? Could you walk us through what a typical day or week looks like? What aspects of your role do you find most interesting or rewarding?
Mariel:As an Associate Materials Manager at Kohl’s, I serve as the primary point of contact for our mill partners, overseeing seasonal fabric costing and leading fabric development from concept through execution. I work closely with Design and Production to develop materials that support our fabric strategy, consolidation initiatives, and product newness, while also maintaining both physical and digital fabric libraries that help our cross-functional teams leverage existing qualities and stay ahead of trends and innovation. A key part of my role is building strong mill partnerships and ensuring materials meet our expectations for cost, quality, agility, and sustainability. I also bring market intelligence and mill capabilities back to the team to help inform partner selection and ensure we are positioned to execute our product strategies effectively.
Beyond fabric development, I help execute materials sourcing strategies that balance cost, quality, speed, and lead-time objectives while supporting the broader garment sourcing strategy. This includes contributing to seasonal and long-range mill strategies, as well as managing service-level terms, consumption charts, and inventory risk. I also work closely with our mills to ensure we meet cost, quality, and delivery standards, and I serve as a key liaison between Sourcing, Design, Production, QAPI (Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement), and external partners to keep programs moving forward. In addition, I support Kohl’s sustainability initiatives, maintain systems and reporting tools, and contribute to training and process improvements that strengthen how our team documents information, communicates across functions, and uses data to make informed decisions.
What I find most rewarding about my role is the balance between the product and analytical sides of the business. Being involved in fabric development keeps me closely connected to the product and lets me see how materials evolve from an initial concept into the finished garment, while costing lets me leverage my analytical skills and evaluate the numbers behind those materials. I really enjoy being able to use both sides of my skill set and seeing how they come together to support strong product and business decisions.
Sheng: How is your role as a Material Manager different from other functions such as sourcing, buying/merchandising, production, and product development? How do you collaborate with these different teams in your work? In what situations or stages of the product development process is close collaboration particularly important? Could you share an example of a project or situation where effective collaboration among these teams was critical to achieving the desired product, cost, quality, or production outcome?
Mariel:The Associate Materials Manager role is closely aligned with Sourcing, with the key distinction being the level at which we operate. Materials focus on the fabric level and work directly with (textile) mills, while Sourcing focuses on the garment level and partners with vendors. The two teams work closely together to execute Materials and Sourcing strategies and achieve our shared goals. Materials also has an additional research and development (R&D) component that Sourcing does not, which allows us to work especially closely with Design and Production. When developing or re-sourcing a fabric, we need to ensure that the Design intent is maintained while also meeting the cost and lead-time expectations established by Production. While Materials does not work directly with Merchandising, merchants ultimately make the final decisions on what gets purchased, so understanding their timelines is also important. When planning fabric commitment timing, we need to ensure merchants have enough time to make those decisions, particularly when mills require unit projections or longer-range fabric commitments. Materials works closely with Sourcing, Design, and Production to identify opportunities to manage costs while balancing quality, product, and customer expectations.
Sheng: What are some of the most important or unique challenges you face when working with materials for activewear and kids’ knit products? What technical knowledge or skills are particularly important for succeeding in your role?
Mariel:For active products, the primary challenge is ensuring the fabric delivers the performance the product is intended to provide. This requires a strong understanding of technical finishes such as moisture wicking, quick-dry, and chlorine resistance, as well as fabric characteristics such as stretch and recovery, breathability, and pilling resistance. It is not enough for a fabric to simply look or feel right. We also need to understand how it will perform in its intended use. Because of this, one of the most important technical skills in my role is interpreting fabric testing reports, understanding how different fabric constructions and finishes impact performance, and identifying what adjustments may be needed to achieve the desired result.
For Kids products, print execution is a critical part of the fabric development process, so having a strong understanding of different print techniques and how they perform across various fabric constructions is essential. Fabric performance is equally important, particularly hand feel, durability, and pilling, and achieving the right performance requires understanding how fabric finishes, material content, and fabric construction work together. Children value comfort and are more active, which makes these considerations especially important for Kids. Ultimately, succeeding in my role requires a combination of technical fabric knowledge, analytical skills, and a strong understanding of our mill capabilities. Being able to evaluate a fabric not only by how it looks and performs, but also by how efficiently and competitively it can be produced, allows us to make the right sourcing decisions for each category.
Sheng: Looking back on your time at UD and in FASH, what courses or experiences have been most useful in preparing you for your career? For students who are interested in careers in apparel materials, product development, or sourcing, what technical and professional skills would you recommend they develop? What advice would you give students about preparing for their first job and standing out during the recruiting process?
Mariel:Looking back on my time at UD, several courses played an important role in preparing me for my career. FASH 210 (Seminar on Fashion and Sustainability) sparked my interest in sustainability and ultimately led me toward Materials, since so much of sustainability starts with understanding what a fabric is made from. FASH 215 (Fundamentals of Textiles I) and FASH 220 (Fundamentals of Textiles II) helped build my foundation in textile knowledge, which remains highly relevant to my Materials work today. FASH 218 (Introduction to Fashion Business), FASH 330 (Merchandise planning), and FASH 490 (Strategic Fashion Management) helped me understand a brand or company’s purpose, the importance of identifying white space, and the need to understand your target customer. FASH 455 (Global apparel sourcing and trade) was particularly valuable in solidifying my interest in Sourcing while also giving me a broader global perspective. Each of these courses helped build a different part of my foundation and gave me knowledge that I continue to apply in my career today.
For students interested in Materials, Production, or Sourcing, I would recommend developing a strong combination of hard and soft skills. Textile knowledge is important for Materials, but having a basic understanding of textiles is also valuable in Production and Sourcing. Excel is another essential skill for Sourcing and Materials. I use pivot tables every day, and Excel is a critical tool for cost analysis, organization, and negotiation. Strong collaboration and prioritization skills are also key in this industry.
Apparel is fast-paced, and adapting quickly requires strong relationships with cross-functional partners and the ability to manage multiple priorities at once. I would also encourage students to develop strong problem-solving skills. Many technical skills can be taught on the job, but being able to approach a challenge, ask the right questions, identify potential solutions, and follow through is extremely valuable. When preparing for my first job, I would focus on demonstrating curiosity, a willingness to learn, and the ability to take initiative. During the recruiting process, students should focus on showing not only what they know, but how they think, solve problems, and approach unfamiliar situations. Those qualities show that you are someone others can rely on and that you are prepared to contribute from day one.
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FASH455 Global Apparel & Textile Trade and Sourcing 