Burberry
A buyer might be one of the most mysterious professions in the fashion world. Designers, magazine editors and models are known across the globe. They appear on covers, give interviews and are subject to public scrutiny. But what about the elusive buyer?
Generally, they live in the shadows (except for Justin O’Shea from mytheresa.com) and seal the fates of fashionable mankind. They are the first who are invited by brands to see new collections, thus the emergence of new trends and the success of such trends mostly depends on the buyers. A first-class buyer has the ability to disconnect from their own personal tastes and preferences, ensuring they are consistently getting the best product for their customers.
At first it might seem that this job is just about creativity, endless travelling to the most romantic and fashionable cities of the world and champagne splashes in between. A while back I met an acquaintance from a famous glossy magazine in one of the Paris showrooms and she said: “What a good life a buyer has! You are wined and dined at each meeting, you don’t have to attend boring sponsors events, fake your smile and pretend you like everything!” And in a sense it is true. But the schedule of a buyer can also be extreme.
These days we no longer need to go to New York and London as brands will bring their collections to Milan and Paris. The average duration of a trip is 2-3 weeks, four times a year. If choosing between two cities, some people prefer Milan more (for its calmer schedule and more for-profit collections) while others put Paris above (for its forward-thinking take on fashion). Everything depends on the buyer.
There is no doubt that creativity covers a great part of our profession, but in many respects it is limited by figures, budgets and statistics. It is very important to be able to analyse the processes happening in society and to anticipate the emergence of new trends. So a good buyer, in between orders and trying to catch some shut-eye, will manage to squeeze in at least some news from businessoffashion.com and vogue.com. Even if you’re running late for the next meeting, you will never pass by Milan Excelsior or the Parisian Montaigne Market to see what’s new.
A couple of seasons ago some brands mentioned a new operating mode: “See now, buy now”, which allows items to become commercially available immediately after the collection show during fashion week. This is logical. We live in such a fast and information-intensive world nowadays, so no one wants to wait half a year before picking up the item they’ve been pining after. Who knows, maybe in a few years this system, as well as the rapidly growing market of online trading, will lead to the extinction of the buyer altogether. People will just go on style.com, click on the item from the show and an hour later the courier with a parcel is at the doors!
Some tricks of the trade:
A well-chosen hotel location is vital. The main criteria are a convenient location within walking distance from the main showrooms and a large quiet bright room with fast Wi-Fi. The new Milan Hotel Senato is perfect!
Some of my favourite restaurants when I’m travelling include La Belle Epoque in Paris’ Second District; Le Comptoir des Mers, the little Oyster restaurant at 1 rue de Turenne; and in Milan I adore Cala Luna, the almost invisible restaurant close to the Diana Majestic hotel.
I always carry patches of Gold Racoony hyaluronic acid and a bronzer will help to disguise traces of fatigue. Rene Furterer dry shampoo is another essential – if choosing between extra sleep and clean hair, I’ll always take the forty winks!
Aizel.ru senior buyer, Lena Piatibratova, for Stylensnitch
