Jennifer DelaneyFashion BusinessFashion Designer, Buyer, and Product Development Manager

FASHION DESIGNER RESPONSIBILITIES

Fashion designers may have a specialty or work on a variety of clothing. They design the items and the fashion ranges. Some categories are sportswear, children's, woman's, men's, and this list goes on within the main categories. Designs are made for haute couture, designer ready-to-wear, and high street fashion markets. High street fashion is where majority of designers work. They buy patterns and pay attention to seasonal tends. Ready-to-wear designers or pret-a-porter, are designers who create collections in small numbers. Haute couture requires a lot of time spent of production for garments that are not practical to wear. You would see these styles in fashion shows. They usually endorse other brands to inspire a look. Fashion Designers create and visualize an idea and produce a design. They must keep up to date with emerging fashion trends as well as gnarl trends relating to fabrics, colors, and shapes. They work with fashion buyers and forecasters to develop products to meet brief. They must understand the design from a technical perspective like producing patters. Designs are adapted for mass-production. Experienced designers have other people to do small jobs for like like machinists.

FASHION BUYER RESPONSIBILITIES

Buying and production teams on an ongoing basis ensure the item is good for the customer, market, and price points. They deal with customer demand: price, quality, and availability. They understand market trends and store policy, while managing financial budgets. Fashion buyers analyze consumer buying patterns and predict future trends. They review performance indicators such as sales and discount levels. They manage plans for stock levels. When changes occur, they must know how to deal with demands and logistics. Buyers meet with suppliers to negotiate terms of a contract. It is important to keep good relationships with supplies for future products. Buyers attend trade fairs and other promotional activities to select and make new collections. Their most important role is in supply and demand and relationships with suppliers.

FASHION PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

The Product Development Manager is ultimately responsible for the creation and delivery of new products. They must expand business with existing customers and develop new customer contacts. To be a product development manager, you should be in the business for a while and have solid connections. They deal with external development and research partners. They identify new opportunities to create competitive advantages. By doing this, the goal is to make sure the product is unique and on trend. Working in fashion as a Product Development Manager is a senior role, often entered into after having many years of experience in fashion buying, garment technology or fashion design.