From exclusive fashion shows, designer meet-and-greets and dining out each night in a new city, there’s no denying the glamorous appeal of being a fashion buyer. What we don’t often hear about is the back-to-back showroom appointments, unwavering jet lag, endless amounts of caffeine and hours spent on buses, trains and Ubers alike.

To get an insight into what an average day for a fashion buyer looks like, we sat down with Harrolds Head Buyer Kathleen Buscema following her recent trip to Europe for the Autumn/Winter ’20 buy trip.

1. What does an average day on a buying trip look like?

I wake up around 6.30-7am or, depending on the jet lag, usually much earlier. I do a quick scan of emails, set up a session of pilates – I swear by Fluid Form pilates, so convenient in my hotel room, shower and get ready. I use the train as much as possible, because it’s fast, gets me moving and you get to really feel like a local in Paris. I usually schedule as many appointments as possible in a day, averaging about seven per day. I have an espresso and it’s down to business. We discuss all things from the markets, sales, budgets, sell through and seasonal strategies.

2. What do you look for in a collection?

The story of the collection, the inspiration for certain detail and anecdotes are vital. I guess you could say it is poetry for the client when our stylists can share why John Galliano used press studs on the border of the scarf print collared overcoat they have just put in the fitting room, because John Galliano couldn’t find pins in his work room.

Walking through a collection two or three times in the showrooms is most important. I do this to observe whether their collection story is well-thought out. It needs to be balanced, options to be focused, and fabrications and weights correct for our climate. I like to hear about the inspiration for collections, the story, the why – this is so important. Without it, it would just be another collection. I always do a walk through on my own to get an overall sense of the vision, the commerciality, the direction and how it compares to other designer’s collections or previous seasons collections. Then we start to select based on history, our consumer habits and our creative vision and think about how we can educate our client on why they need or want a garment. Understanding where a designer and a collection was six months ago to the present is important to understand so we can communicate this to our clients.

3. What do you look for in new and emerging designers?

Real design starting at fabric, silhouette and fit. Well-thought out execution and how to bring it to our customer. They need to make you feel something, you just know when something is special straight away.

4. How many buy trips in total have you been on?

I have lost count.

5. How do you prepare for a buy trip?

Data analysis is key as well as feedback from our store managers and style consultants. We do many store workshops and walk throughs, discussing high and low performing stock. We even share these with the brands so we can see it together. We also always go back to what and how we want our client to be. What journey are we taking them on – this is key.

Walking through a collection two or three times in the showrooms is most important. I do this to observe whether their collection story is well-thought out. It needs to be balanced, options to be focused, and fabrications and weights correct for our climate.