How to Become a Buyer for Wholesale Name Brand Kids Clothes
Admit it: when you catch a glimpse of a beautiful child modeling items from a new designer's collection, your heart skips a beat. It's not that the thought of parenthood is so compelling; you have your eye on the lines, the colors and the adorable design of the outfit--not the kid. Sounds like you could use a career that's both creatively satisfying and has the ability to keep your bank balance in the black. If juvenile fashion is your passion, you couldn't find a better future than by choosing a career as a buyer. Pay your dues and you'll be traveling the world as you immerse yourself in the ever-changing trends that keep even the smallest people in the world looking downright hot.
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Things You'll Need
- College major in fashion design, merchandising, retailing or marketing
- Sense of style and color
- Talent for differentiating fads from trends
- Willingness to start at the bottom and relocate if necessary
- Stamina
Instructions
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Major in a fashion-related discipline to get all of the coursework you'll need to launch a well-rounded career. In particular, study juvenile clothing design, color theory, retail merchandising, import trends, fabric and trim selection and other subjects that will help you make good decisions about the quality of the children's clothing you'll be considering for your retail clients.
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Study psychology and business, too. Understanding why fashion has so strong an impact on society and why parents are willing to do without other things to keep their tots in designer duds will help define your role as a buyer for department and specialty stores, who will turn to you to make wise picks for their seasonal lines. Polish your communication skills so your negotiations with vendors, distributors and managers are at the top of your game. You'll be particularly valuable to the children's wholesale business if you learn to do business analyses and have a firm grip on sales productivity.
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Stay abreast of current fashion trends by checking new collections at market shows, retail fashion shows, trade showrooms and by research using the Internet and fashion magazines. Additionally, seek out news and prognostications coming from such powerful entities as the Color Marketing Association. This nonprofit evaluates trends, then makes projections about colors set to dominate the market up to five years in advance. Even children's clothing buyers must be privy to such information to service retailers efficiently and wisely.
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Closely follow major children's clothing manufacturers by visiting their showrooms. It doesn't help to peruse collections currently hanging on the racks of children's ready-to-wear departments, because dresses, shirts, jeans, blouses and other apparel were several years in the making, thus the designs you see today are on their way out. Rely instead on showrooms and manufacturers to stay abreast of upcoming collections.
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Cut your buying teeth as an associate or assistant buyer. Armed with your degree in fashion, you may think it's a quick jump to a full-fledged buyer's job, but in reality, the children's clothing business--like all fashion-focused careers--is big on apprenticeship and starting at the bottom. You may have to compromise by starting your career in nonjuvenile lines. The secret of success is to keep your goals at the forefront of your brain while getting your foot in the door in any capacity that has you working in fashion.
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Be prepared for anything. A typical ad for a children's retail clothing buyer will specify a home base, so you must be willing to move for the right opening. Keep track of jobs by bookmarking websites specializing in fashion. While you scour the field, apply to department and specialty stores in your area for jobs that can get you into retail clothing sales. If you possess skills that set you apart from the crowd--say, you speak Spanish, have experience staging fashion shows or have a portfolio that includes awards and honors--don't be shy about sharing this information.
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Work your way up the salary and responsibility ladder once you land your first buying job. Expect to make $50,000 to $70,000 on average at major market centers, but as your expertise increases, your net worth will grow.
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Expect the unexpected. Fashion has a lot in common with whims: As a buyer, you'll be expected to be a soothsayer while keeping an eagle eye on the competition. You'll also need to become a person who is able to leave her own taste for children's fashion at home. It will help if you're a workaholic because hours can be long--especially during fashion preview season--but if you love the job half as much as you expected to when you chose a career in buying, you probably won't care.
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References
- Photo Credit © Geni Roark
