Hi there!

 

My name is Taylor James and I am currently a marketing major with a focus in fashion merchandising. Something unique about me is that I grew up completing in dance competitions, and one of my favorite parts about that experience were the costumes I wore. I. absolutely loved all of the sparkles, bright colors, and different designs I would be presented with each season. I believe dance competitions most definitely sparked my interest in fashion as a child, and it has just grown since. 

 

I have an interest in buying as a career because I believe keeping up with trends, pairing together styles, and being able to predict what buyers want are all skills of mine. I have participated in social media campaigns with clothing companies such as VS PINk, prettylittlething, American Threads, etc., which involve those companies allowing me to choose clothing items on their website in exchange for advertisement on my social media platforms. Not only do I think about what clothes I like while making my selections, but what the individuals who follow me would like as well. I think this would be a great skill for me to use in a career atmosphere, and that is why the job of a Buyer is one I may see myself having a true passion for. 

 

A key take away I gained from this class would that being a buyer is more than just being fashionable; it also requires analytical skills and knowledge on how to interpret data in order to predict future trends. The Buyer gets to travel all over the country to attend different Marts to view different selections of clothing from various brands. This is where the Buyer’s knowledge of fashion and trendiness comes in, but on the statistical side there is also a job to do. Buyers must also know how to forecast trends, read and interpret analytical data, be skilled in computer software, and have an overall knowledge of the target market they are aiming their selections towards. This key point stood out to me in this class because it shows that having a job as a Buyer is more than just being good a picking out cute clothes; this job requires knowledge and understanding of how trends in fashion work. I found that very important throughout the semester, and to my view of the job as a whole.

 

I plan to use the information I learned from this class to help with my future job decisions, as well as in my career if I do end up choosing to pursue one as a Buyer. This class has shown me what all this job entails, and it has truly made me more interested in being a Buyer in the future. My major is marketing with an emphasis in fashion merchandising because even though marketing is my main focus, a job in fashion has always been an interest of mine. I wasn’t sure what all the job of being a Buyer required prior to this class, and now after I have learned so much more that sparked my interest in possibly pursuing it as my career. If I do find myself working as a Buyer in the future, this class will be my base knowledge on the requirements and expectations of the job. It will allow me to enter with a background knowledge of what my job will entail as well as the skills I have learned in this class such as forecasting trends or calculating markups or discounts. I believe this class will be very beneficial in my job decision process as well as possibly my future career. 

 

Thanks for reading!!!

 

-Taylor <3