Ask Fashion Girl

Dear Tammy:

Being a Fashion Designer and a Buyer each sound like such great careers, it's hard to choose one! But what are they really all about? One thing to know is that being a Fashion Designer is more of a creative mindset than being a Buyer, which is a business mindset. Let's look a little further behind the titles to see what's involved with each of them and which fashion career might be right for you.

A Fashion Designer conceptualizes a line of clothing. The Designer then sees the project from concept through pre-production. She or he oversees the process of the line, supervising patternmakers, sample makers, and anyone else who is involved in putting the line together. She or he is a problem-solver and a team manager. If the Designer works for a small company, the job might encompass tasks such as flat sketching, sourcing of fabric and trim, and the costing and specifications for the garments. If it's a larger company, there will be assistants to help in this process.

A Buyer's role is more analytical. You must enjoy numbers, because there's a lot of retail math and working with Excel spreadsheets. You do data analysis by department and maintain sales and profit margin goals by the category of what you buy. You set appointments with vendors and meet with them to look at their products, then follow up with the vendors on delivery of goods. You travel to trade shows and different markets. There is a bit of Product Development at the senior level of a buyer's role.

If you're interested in a career that mixes creativity with business, take a look at the FIDM major Merchandise Product Development. A Product Developer works to develop profitable products for a target market, so this career is a little bit of both. And keep in mind that no matter which of these areas of the industry you enter, you'll be working with fashion every day!

Sincerely, Fashion Girl