The fashion industry is a globalized area of art that carry out the demand of all clothing and jewelry trends in the world. The industry is made up of professionals from all over the world that specialize in couture and luxury style clothing that is mass-produced and distributed to every section of the country. Being apart such an amazing industry would be a huge honor and a privilege, but like many in the industry would say it take everything you have to be successful in the fashion business. Having the knowledge to do what you want to do is only half of what you need to be successful in the fashion industry.
The fashion industry consists of many jobs but I feel that I would fit best as a fashion industry buyer. In the fashion industry the buyer is someone who picks the items that will be stocked in retails stores based solely on their own predictions of what will be popular with shoppers at the time. The industry buyers work closely with the designers, representatives of the clothing. The buyers travel all over the world to view new trends and fashions. These people may work in department stores or even small stores; in the smaller stores the buyer would also have to do with the sales and promotions of the clothes they chose. The buyer also is the person who makes decisions about what to stock, which can greatly affect fashion businesses. There is somewhat of a hierarchy when it comes to the buyer for a major store, so there may be an assistant buyer, which is also a job I wouldn’t mind pursuing. The assistant buyer is just the assistant to the buyer, assisting the buyer on all the jobs they have to execute. I feel that the fashion industry is my passion and is exactly where my abilities will grow and shine.
During my search through the different jobs that are open in the industry right now I came across a few different buyer opportunities at Nordstrom’s, Lane Bryant and Saks Fifth Avenue. The jobs were all for an assistant buyer or a specific area buyer, such a sports wear or women or men department buyers. Each job posting stated exactly what the job entailed and all the requirements that they were looking for in each candidate for the job. The job descriptions that all of these company shared and also some that were different are having the ability to Support the business by ensuring inventory and orders are accurately audited, processed, assembled, efficiently packed and shipped, Gathering and reviewing all relevant information needed to complete tasks based on a thorough understanding of all departments. Researching and resolving any issues using all appropriate sources, being able to collaborate with peers and leaders to ensure outcomes align with priorities and direction of the company. You must be able to deliver exemplary customer service through strong ownership and professionalism at all times.
Other very interesting work descriptions that Saks Fifth Avenue had listed under their job responsibilities was being able to demonstrate a commitment to teamwork through relationship-building, reliability and collaboration and works with merchandise manager to develop and execute the strategic vision of the department integrating customer insight, competitive information, market intelligence, sales and fashion trends, fashion intuition and product distortion to maximize sales and profit. Also being responsible for hind-sighting product performance and having the ability to effectively present strategies and report on their business. The most interesting part of the job description was being able to understand the customer and the people who see all the clothing you choose for the store. Also researching and anticipating what the customer wants next using information from store visits and having extensive knowledge in decision making and planning processes. Also following the pattern competitors and fashion leaders and understands how they are projecting their brand. You will be focusing on overall assortment, fashion offering, pricing/promotional cadence, and presentations. You must also create reports on and using findings/information in season and future line planning and collect industry/ consumer/ competitor trend information. Also create reports on and integrates findings into the development of the strategic vision and the future selection of product. Also develop, in partnership with Merchandise Manager, product-testing strategies that drive top line sales and margin.
The requirements that these jobs listed varied from a bachelors degree in fashion to being able to travel on a regular basis. Some others were having at least 3-5 years in the consumer goods for wholesale and retail merchandising. Having Internet and social skills, website management skills, superior problem solving skills, detailed follow up skills, excellent communication and organizational skills. You be able to use Microsoft office and know who to use a power point presentation. The one skill that all of these job positions listed was being able to work in a team environment. These are all great skills that many people already have if they are trying to get into to fashion industry but there were a few skills listed that I realized I did not possess. Having mathematical and financial knowledge is something I struggle with. I do not do well in math and have very much trouble dealing with the financial background of the business. The numbers and negotiating part overwhelm me so this is something I know I will have to work on before I can consider getting a job in the industry. I also tend to over extend myself when given a lot of tasks. One of the main quilifications the job listing had was the ablilty to delegate tasks among your team members. This is something I also struggle with. Not only with the fact of giving out things for people to do but I am somewhat of a control freak and I feel the only way things are going to get done is if I do them myself. I know this is a horrible thing to think but its something I obviously need to deal with before even thinking about getting a job in the fashion industry. Passing things along the line to make sure its being done correctly and always having someone there to check your work and help you make it better is one of the best things about working in a team based environment.
My personal plan to achieve my goal as working as a buyer for a major fashion entity is pretty simple I plan to finish my bachelors degree so I can gain as much knowledge about the business as a whole. I also plan to maybe take some classes on finance and maybe even get a minor degree in it so that I can learn as much about the financial and business part of the industry. I then think that it crucial to work or volunteer at as many fashions shows and fashion events as possible to make as many connections as possible. Also I could get a low level job at a department store, such as a sales associate and then work my way up, but I think the main thing I will do best at is becoming an assistant buyer first then working my up from there. However, the next step with revolve around solely getting all the knowledge I need to be successful in the fashion world
Although the fashion industry is a very hard industry to be apart of, it holds a lot of potential when it comes to learning essentials skills not only for the benefit of the job or the company but also for the benefit of you. Like I said before the fashion industry is one of the most amazing industries to work in and the skills you acquire on your journey are skills you will use in your everyday life.
Citations
Smith, F. G., Leconte, P., & Vitelle, E. (2012). The VECAP position paper on universal design for learning for career assessment and vocational evaluation. Vocational Evaluation and Career Assessment Journal, 8(1), 13-26.
