Retail Buying

An article in this weeks Look magazine:

Moriamo Oshodi, 35, reveals what it's like to be head of buying for womenswear at Asos

" When I'm on a buying trip for Asos, sitting in the coolest hotel in LA or Tokyo, I pinch myself that this is part of my job. As head buyer for womenswear, I put together all the new collections, but my job is very different to a fashion designer. Every season, it's the designers who come up with what the main trends are going to be. But I have to interpret those trends commercially....

It's still my job to spot trends and my ideas come from everywhere. I'm constantly travelling- being a buyer means taking 'inspirational' trips to all the key fashion hubs around the world, including New York, Milan and Tokyo... New York is all about glamour, Seoul is all about woven fabrics and LA is the capital of dresses...

The trips are glamorous- I get to stay in fantastic hotels and hang out in the coolest venues as we have to be where the fashionistas will inspire us. We visit all the best shopping areas, and I scour vintage markets for ideas, taking photos of what stylish women are wearing on the street...

My average day starts at my desk with me checking yesterday's sales on the site. If something is an amazing seller, I work with my team to come up with ideas about how to move it on...

A lot of my time is spent with the fashion teams, who do the shoots with the models. I'm always asking myself: " Are the collections right for our costumers? Is it the right price, the right time and the right mix for the Asos girl?" If it isn't, it's my job to change it...

We work on lots of different seasons at once... booking six months ahead and developing up to a year ahead... It can be crazy, but when I see someone wearing the clothes I've worked on, it's amazing.

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I hope I get to be so lucky...x