So what actually is a fashion buyer? By definition a fashion buyer is…
"Taking from their knowledge of fashion together with business sense, fashion buyers decide what to buy, which mix of brands to buy and need to know what their customer is looking for. Besides maintaining strong relationships with top brands, buyers constantly stay on the lookout for new brands, designers and trends.” (https://fashionunited.com/education/news/fashion-careers-what-does-a-fashion-buyer-do/201901182567)
To break this down a fashion buyer essentially orders and decides the stock for a brand this being how much is needed for online and physically across stores. This is a massive responsibility as if there is too much you’re loosing money by waste however if there is too little you’re loosing out on sales. This decision needs to be perfect and is mapped out using a method in which knowledge of a primary buyer is considered.
Tasks of the fashion buyer on a day to day include;
“Selecting products
Negotiating prices
Ensuring goods arrive on time
Presenting new ideas to senior management teams
Liaising with other departments within the organisation to ensure projects are completed
Writing reports
Helping to interpret sales forecasts
Analysing consumer buying patterns and predicting future trends
Training and mentoring junior staff
Managing plans for stock levels
Reacting to changes in demand
Reacting to changes in logistics
Seeking merchandise feedback from customers
Meeting suppliers and negotiating terms of contract
Maintaining relationships with existing suppliers and sourcing new suppliers for future products
Participating in promotional activities”
To get into this role you need a relevant fashion and business degree and sometimes a portfolio on what you can bring to the brand.
To me fashion buyer Is the job role that interests me the most due to the strategic buying and always staying on trend. Being creative in the sense of choosing stock and academic in the numbers and organisation would play to my strengths.
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