A fashion assistant buyer supports clothing buyers with administrative duties such as analyzing sales trends, devising marketing strategies, and managing inventory and vendor accounts. A fashion degree and industry experience are usually required to enter this field.
A fashion assistant buyer is hired by a clothing retailer to provide support to one or more buyers, individuals responsible for planning and purchasing the retailer’s clothing lines. As glamorous as the title may sound, a fashion buyer’s assistant is usually preoccupied with behind-the-scenes administrative duties, leaving runway shows and international jets to their superiors. She may be required to analyze sales trends and help determine pricing and devise marketing strategies. In addition, she may be responsible for tracking inventory and processing vendor invoices. In order to get a job in this field, it is usually necessary to first obtain a fashion degree and gain experience in the industry.
While senior fashion shoppers are soaking up new trends from the runways and visiting clothing suppliers, an assistant fashion shopper often works behind the scenes, mediating the transition between the shopper’s purchases and the actual appearance of products on retailers’ shelves. Before clothes can be sold to shoppers, retailers must do research to determine what types of clothes are likely to sell, how much shoppers are paying for similar goods, and how the products should be marketed. It may be necessary for a fashion purchasing assistant to prepare detailed reports in all these areas, in some cases working in coordination with a retailer’s marketing department. To get the information she needs to compile reports, she will likely need to study past sales records and possibly familiarize herself with competing retailers’ products, pricing, and marketing tactics.
Another important component of the assistant buyer’s job is managing inventory and vendor accounts. She may need to photograph samples of all new inventory before it is distributed to retail outlets. In addition, she can be tasked with keeping track of inventory levels and ordering extra garments from suppliers when store inventory starts to run low. In some cases, an assistant buyer is responsible for processing the supplier’s invoice and ensuring that suppliers are paid for supplied inventory.
Those looking to become a fashion buyer’s assistant are usually required to complete a degree in fashion merchandising, fashion design or another relevant field. One or more years of experience in the apparel industry, from working in a retail store to interning in a design house, may also be required. An assistant fashion buyer who proves to be competent may be able to move up the career ladder to become a full-fledged buyer, a position that often offers various perks, such as overseas travel.
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