Fashion management principles and practices

Fashion Management

I am looking for a job as a buyer in the retail/merchandising side of Barneys New York. There are several reasons why I want this job. Barneys is one of the top high-end department stores in New York, which is one of the top fashion cities in the world. I want to be a part of something as amazing as Barneys, since I have always loved visiting that store since I was a child. To this day, I love walking through the store and admiring the fashions. Since I have been studying fashion management, I have found stores like Barneys to be even more interesting, because each item of clothing is so well-designed and well-made. Again, there is something exciting about Barneys that makes me want to be a part of that store in particular.

Another reason why I want to join Barneys on the buying team is that I feel that buying is the perfect role for me. I am fashion forward, and eagerly await the new season's clothes. I feel that the spin I would put on Barneys is to ensure that the store not only carries the best established designers but the best upcoming designers from unique fashion areas. Barneys advocates a fairly classic style, but within that there is considerable room to reflect a global mindset. My expertise in design from around the world as well as from the classic designers in Europe and America I think is something I would want to bring to Barney's. I feel that it is important not only to do maintain the store's high standards, but to keep it at the forefront of fashion by offering new innovations and new trends to reflect New York's status as a global fashion capital and a true world city.

The buyer role is also perfect for me in that I love travel, and I know that as a buyer part of my job will be to attend shows around the world, and to meet with designers, especially those with whom we do a considerable amount of business. I was just in Milan for fashion week, and popped down to Florence to see what their designers are doing. This is what I do for fun, so it only makes sense for me to pursue this professionally. I love talking to people in the industry, and I relish the opportunity to become a tastemaker in my own right, bringing the finest fashions to Barneys and its customers.

2.

The best way to find out about opportunities at Barneys is to talk to people at the company, whether this is in the store or through other avenues. It is not always easy to meet the exact person who is doing the hiring, but people throughout the company will know what opportunities might be available, and how best to pursue those opportunities. Fashion is very much a business where it is who you know, not what you know. By expanding my circle within the fashion world, especially in New York, I will meet the right people and the opportunities that are available will find their way to me.

This does not mean taking a passive approach to job hunting. The first steps are the same as anybody would take, such as visiting the Barneys website, sending in an application online, and trying to find out the names of the appropriate contacts. I just feel that this approach is something that a lot of people will do, even people who do not have the same passion for fashion. To really stand out in the fashion world, I need to make myself stand out, through networking, and through truly showing anybody at Barneys who will listen that I have a level of knowledge and passion that it beyond what the average job seeker might have. If there's one position, I want to be the one who gets the job, so even though I will go through all the basic steps, I will go the extra mile to actually meet the decision makers who have the power to get me in.

3. Why should Barneys hire me, or anybody else for that matter? Fashion is my life. Yes, I'm a fashion graduate, but more than that I simply live for fashion. I live for the clothes themselves, but also for the business side of fashion. Anyone who succeeds in this industry not only has great love for fashion, but understands that it is a business, that we are all in that business to sell clothes. I think coming from that perspective, you are meeting the key people in the industry on their level, not just as a kid who likes clothes. So this more mature outlook about the industry is something that will serve me well -- everybody who succeeds has a measure of common sense and a dose of maturity about the business in addition to a profound love of clothes and design. These are my attributes, and I think that they set me apart from the average fashion graduate.

4. I am applying for a position as a Junior Buyer at Barneys. I bring three things that make me the best candidate. I bring knowledge, intense passion and I live for fashion. I am a recent fashion graduate, and this gives me strong knowledge of the industry, especially the business side, which is what the Buyer position is all about. However, I also live for fashion. To travel the world seeking out unique fashions is something I do as a hobby, so to do that professionally is not even a big step for me. I just got back from Milan and Florence, I've traveled recently to Istanbul, London and Sydney -- in short I like to see the world through the eyes of the designers. So when buying for Barneys, I'm not just entering orders into a keyboard, I truly know what the trends are and how Barneys can deliver the best designs for its customers. By putting together a portfolio that is both innovative and classic, I can help to meet the needs of Barney's customers, and in that way make the store better. There are a lot of people who love fashion, but I know this is a business, and I intend to be a trend setter for Barneys over time, strengthening its position as a global fashion leader.