A fashion buyer is someone who finds the best new designs and decides on trends for a specific store. They must purchase those items for the store and buy the best things to make the store's customers happy. The job of a fashion buyer is much more difficult than most people would assume or expect.
The Facts
A fashion buyer will typically attend a four year college to study Fashion and Design and some also attend graduate school in the same major. The person will also do an internship during college to learn how business works and then work in a store setting to understand customers. Only after they do that can they be taken seriously as a fashion buyer because it's only after years of work that they begin to understand what customers and stores both want and need.
Risk Factors
Though it may seem like a lucrative field, there are only a few positions like this that open every year and these usually happen when others leave or are promoted. No matter where you go to school or what your background is, there's no guarantee that you'll find a position as a fashion buyer. Many buyers find themselves working as a cashier or personal stylist before they manage to find a job as a buyer. The job also requires extensive travel, which can be tiring and wear a person down.
Benefits
A fashion buyer gets to see the newest and hottest clothes before almost anyone else does. These people are responsible for setting the trends in a specific area and determining what the next hot thing will be. They also have the benefit of having an established job for a long period of time if they can get in somewhere as a buyer. Most stores keep their buyers and continue to promote them through the company.
Function
Fashion buyers are used for finding the best products to stock in their stores and they work year round. As the fashions and seasons change, they need to find new products to stock and they must work months in advance since the new things need to be on the shelves by the time things change. They have the training and experience to find the right things for their area and to give their store the biggest profits imaginable.
Expert Insight
Those hoping to be a fashion buyer should know that they need to focus not only on the present, but on the past and future as well. They need to know what's currently selling well in their stores and what has sold well in the past. This also helps them determine the type of clothing that will sell well in the future. In some cases the buyer will need to order things years in advance so it's especially important that they understand what sells.
