OUR STORY
IWANTTOBEAFASHIONBUYER.COM is a wholly owned division of Numensa Pty Ltd. Numensa was founded in 2012 to provide retail consultancy and training to retailers and their merchandise management teams.
Since 2012, we have worked with over 50 different companies and brands, from large ASX 200 companies, to privately owned fashion chains, as well as smaller brands. Our experience spans a number of industries, including fashion, furniture & home, sports goods, hardware and grocery.
Initially, most of our work was in consulting and face-to-face training for retailers’ buying and planning teams. More recently, we have launched the Numensa Academy to provide online technical skills training.
In 2021 we launched the IWANTTOBEAFASHIONBUYER.COM programs, and in 2023, the Numensa Internship Program, to further provide career support and to assist students and graduates to gain that all important career experience.
Our brands:
OUR APPROACH
In 2019, we recognised the need for retailers to be able to recruit junior team members who had real industry knowledge and skills, people who could hit the ground running.
What we have developed, launching March 2021, (postponed launch due to COVID-19) is a unique online course in fashion buying and merchandise planning. We want to provide the best trained candidates to fill these roles and we are using our years of experience and our close relationships with our clients to ensure we do just that.
Your fashion career starts here…
Our Mission
Is to support career development in the fashion retail industry. We will do this providing an exemplary learning experience to our students and act as a conduit to young talent to our retail partners.
Our Values
ENJOYMENT – let’s enjoy ourselves
CARE – let’s look after each other
INNOVATION – let’s find our edge
SUSTAINABILITY – let’s leave a light footprint
Fashion Buyers
What Does A Career In Fashion Buying Look Like?
While a career in fashion mightn’t necessarily be that of Amanda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada, most fashion buyers and merchandise planners can attest that it’s a vibrant, fast-paced, creative career nonetheless. If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to follow your dreams and pursue a career as a fashion buyer, you won’t have to wonder much longer. At IWANTTOBEAFASHIONBUYER.com, we provide comprehensive programs that teach people how to become a fashion buyer, supporting them along their journey into the industry. We’re here to unpack what fashion buyers do, where a career in fashion buying can take you, and how to follow your dreams and become a fashion buyer.
What Does A Fashion Buyer Do?
Fashion buyers do quite a bit behind the scenes to bring consumers the very best and latest in fashion, so let’s take a look at some of the jobs fashion buyers are expected to do.
Trend forecasting
You’ll need to use your fashion industry knowledge and combine it with business acumen to decide which pieces to buy. Fashion buyers typically attend trade shows and engage in a lot of networking to do trend research and forecasting. Understanding which colours are hot and which is not is a key skill for a fashion buyer.
Brand discovery
Fashion buyers need to always look for upcoming designers and new brands. Keep an eye on social media for small-time designers with the potential for great things.
Analysis
Fashion buyers typically keep track of budgets, process orders, and monitor sales and inventory. They need to understand what’s selling and what’s not and take action accordingly.
Working alongside merchandise planners
Fashion buyers and merchandise planners work side-by-side to develop the strategy for their department or category. They do this by understanding their customer, sourcing great product from their suppliers, and ensuring their product ranges are profitable.
Maintaining relationships with brands and suppliers
A fashion buyer is the relationship manager between brands and the company. They’ll need to stay updated on the latest collections, pass on feedback about ranges that work and don’t work, and discuss marketing and promotions with the brand and their company. They are also responsible for negotiating with their suppliers.
Where Can A Career In Fashion Buying Take You?
You’ll learn a range of different skills throughout your fashion buying course, internships, and working experience, so a career in fashion buying can take you almost anywhere in the fashion industry.
Fashion buyer
Obviously, this is the goal. You’ll likely start out as an assistant buyer before making your way into a fashion buying role. Once you’ve had some experience at fashion buying, you can work your way up to becoming a senior buyer or the head of buying at a brand or retailer
Showroom sales manager. These professionals often build and maintain relationships with fashion buyers and are responsible for selling the products to buyers representing the stores. If you understand the world of fashion buying, you’ll likely do very well as a showroom sales manager.
Product developer
The product developer is responsible for creating the range from scratch and often works alongside a buyer or merchandise planner. Fashion buying gives you a keen insight into consumer preferences and behaviors, skills you can transfer and apply into a role as a product development manager.
Merchandise planner
These professionals are in charge of developing merchandising strategies for a company, working closely with fashion buyers to make purchase decisions that increase overall profit. These professionals are responsible for quantifying the range that is bought, ensuring it gets to the right stores and trading the stock to increase overall profit.
Fashion marketing
If you want to explore the aspect of fashion buying that allows you to analyze and forecast trends, you might also want to dip your toes into fashion marketing. You’ll have the chance to make strategic recommendations and influence product marketing for digital and print platforms.
Account executive
Working alongside media outlets and advertising agencies, account executives sell and promote brands to stores, overseeing print and digital marketing campaigns.
5 Steps To Becoming A Fashion Buyer
So, now we’ve had a look at where a career in fashion buying could take you; let’s take a look at how to be a fashion buyer in the first place.
Step 1: Undertake a fashion buying course
The first thing you can do to launch your career in the fashion industry is to take a fashion buying course. At IWANTTOBEAFASHIONBUYER.com, we have three courses on offer, two of which are ideal for working specifically in fashion buying. We offer;
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- Fashion Buying – Essentials. This 6-week course fast tracks you toward your career in fashion buying. You’ll cover all the essentials you need to excel in a fashion buyer role, as well as access to our exclusive jobs board where our retail clients post their vacancies.
- Fashion Buying & Planning – Ultimate. This 6-month fashion retail training program includes everything you’ll need to succeed in a career in fashion retail. You’ll undertake 25 buying and planning subjects plus a guaranteed internship in a retail buying office. Once you’ve completed the course, you’ll also have access to our exclusive jobs board.
Step 2: Do an internship
If you’re part of the Fashion Buying & Planning – Ultimate course, your internship will be with one of our fashion partners. If you’re doing the Fashion Buying – Essentials course, keep your eye out for work experience and internship opportunities. You’ll need some practical experience under your belt before jumping into the industry.
Step 3: Get networking
You’ll need to be really good at meeting people in the fashion industry and building solid relationships with people from different areas in fashion. Take any opportunity to go to trade shows and fashion events, meet with your colleagues, and pick the brains of your mentors. You’ll be glad you put in the groundwork with networking after a while.
Step 4: Start applying
Now it’s time to polish up that resume and apply for fashion buying roles. IWANTTOBEAFASHIONBUYER.com has made it really easy for our students, as we’ve got a jobs board where our retail clients post vacancies, so you’ll have a great shot at getting your foot in the door.
Step 5: Look for any opportunity to learn
The fashion industry is constantly changing, and you’ll need to continue to brush up on your skills as you work your way up the career ladder. So take any opportunity to learn something new and apply it to your work. You’ll quickly find that your eagerness to learn will see you advance your career a whole lot faster.
At IWANTTOBEAFASHIONBUYER.com, We Train Fashion Buyers Who Go On To Work For Some Of Australia’s Biggest Brands
At IWANTTOBEAFASHIONBUYER.com, we’re passionate about supporting career development in the fashion retail industry. We aim to provide those looking at a career in fashion buying with real-world, industry-applicable skills through our comprehensive online courses on fashion buying and merchandise planning. We strive to provide the best-trained candidates to fill vacancies in retail and fashion, and we leverage our years of experience and close relationships with our clients to offer our students unparalleled opportunities in the industry. If you’re ready to take the next steps in your career and learn about our programs for fashion buyers, contact the team at IWANTTOBEAFASHIONBUYER.com today. Your career in fashion starts right here.