L ooking for a career in fashion where you can combine your eye for style with your sense for business? Fashion merchandising and fashion buying are two career path options that can help you do just that.
Fashion Merchandising vs Fashion Buying
The primary responsibility of a fashion merchandiser is to create an experience for customers that is esthetically pleasing and encourages the customer to buy. A fashion buyer chooses the clothes and accessories that will be sold, based on what the store’s clientele is and the image it seeks to project. In large companies fashion merchandising and fashion buying are often separate positions, however responsibilities for both are sometimes incorporated into the merchandising position.
A successful career in this area of the fashion industry begins with training at a fashion school which helps open the door into this exciting and dynamic industry.
To begin your exciting career in fashion merchandising or fashion buying, contact any or all of these schools and get more information about their programs!
Fashion merchandising is often mistaken for fashion marketing and although the two work together, they are different things. Fashion merchandising is where the creative side of fashion and the business side meet. The duty of a fashion merchandiser is to connect fashion designers and manufacturers with consumers, as well as to anticipate the future trends in the field.
In order to become a fashion merchandiser, one has to combine a keen sense of business with knowledge in the field of fashion. A fashion merchandiser also has a great deal of knowledge about fabrics and clothing construction and provides input into the type of fabrics that are best suited to make a particular design. A fashion merchandiser is also responsible for finding the best way to manufacture items based on price and the target market.
What you can expect to learn in Fashion Merchandising School
Since fashion marketing, merchandising and fashion buying are closely related, many top fashion schools include marketing and merchandising courses in their programs. Fashion merchandising courses may include:
The merchandising process
How to predict consumer behavior and trends
How to creating cutting-edge visual displays
Sourcing appropriate materials and propping
Wholesale purchasing and buying strategies
What is a Fashion Buyer?
If you have an enthusiasm for shopping and the idea of selecting products to fill fashion stores excites you, a career as a Fashion Buyer might be perfect for you.
A Fashion Buyer must be able to predict the upcoming trends that make Fashion such an exciting industry! Fashion buyers select and purchase clothing, shoes and accessories and need to be certain that the items they purchase appeals to the store's clientele and their price bracket as well as projecting the store’s image.
Fashion buyers order samples from suppliers, negotiate prices and delivery times and enter orders. Senior fashion buyers travel often to research the latest trends, attend industry shows and events, and meet face to face with suppliers.
Depending on the size of the retailer, a buyer may buy merchandise for broad product areas such as casual wear that would include, jackets, pants, tops or sweaters. If the buyer works for a large department store, they may focus on a smaller, but high volume segment such as buying men’s shirts or men’s pants.
What makes a good Fashion Buyer?
Many elements of a successful fashion buyer can be learned in fashion school and on the job, but being self-motivated and enthusiastic and having an excellent sense of style are something a good fashion buyer naturally possesses.
A fashion buyer also must be flexible and versatile, as their tasks and responsibilities may change from day to day. One must be prepared to sit at a desk one day, communicating with suppliers or writing reports and the next day travel to an industry event or meet with suppliers.
A great deal of a buyer’s day is spent liaising with suppliers or internal departments so having good people and communication skills with the ability to establish strong working relationships are a must.
A fashion buyer also needs to be business minded with strong financial and analytical skills. A buyer must also learn the art of negotiation; they must be able to broker the best prices and be aware of what the store’s selling price will be.
Where are these Canadian fashion merchandising schools located?
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