EziBuy Merchandising Product Developer, Keely answers all our hard-hitting questions about what she gets up to each day, perks of working at EziBuy, how she balances work to life and the skills needed to work in the fashion industry.
What do you do at EziBuy? What’s your job title and department?
I am a category product developer with the Merchandising Department. I work on jackets and also work on product selection for the Urban department.
What is a typical day like for you? Who do you deal with?
- My day starts with checking emails! We wake up to replies from our China suppliers, so I’ll start by reading through these.
- I keep up to date with what you guys have been purchasing by checking out our buying reports.
- Most of our fit meetings are arranged for the morning so that involves dealing with the buyer, our fit model and the garment technician. Fit meetings involve fitting the sample garment on the model, checking the fit and styling aspects of the piece. We need to ensure the selected fabric is working on the model and making sure the style is going to be appropriate for you!
- In the afternoon we might see our local suppliers for fits so we would deal with their Account Managers and the Garment Technician.
- In between fit meetings I will also be working on putting together spreads for our Urban brand, selecting styles and putting these together into a cohesive story for our catalogues. Other areas that I can work in is handing samples over to be costed, negotiating prices with our suppliers, checking catalogue pages before they go to print, working with the planning team on planning numbers and dealing with stock issues. Phew! It’s busy!
- Overall our days in merchandising are pretty non-stop and very rarely 2 days are the same!
How do you balance your work to life ratio? What are some barriers for you?
We work late in the peak periods at the start of the new season. I don’t mind this as I want to get product in on time and looking good! To relax I go to yoga classes and often meet friends for drinks or dinner on a Friday night.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
Have belief in yourself and your opinions do matter!
As a successful woman in business, what is your advice to other women, particularly younger women who are starting out their career?
Be persistent and confident. Let your manager know where you want to go and where you want to be. On a side note, especially in this small industry – be nice to everyone!
List 3 skills you need in your position
- Ability to communicate clearly: in the role we need to be able to communicate with many cultures and that means sometimes English is not their first language.
- Be highly organised! There is always a lot going on and our jobs are very detail oriented… a good memory also helps.
- Good commercial eye for detail, design and colour. Of course this needs to be a passion too!
Are there any perks to working at EziBuy?
We get a generous staff discount on EziBuy product, we see new season fashion 6 months ahead of it being released in New Zealand and the fact that I am lucky to work for a company that I am passionate about.
What do you enjoy the most about working at EziBuy
Despite the fact we work hard and are always busy, we make time to have a laugh. We are lucky to work in a relaxed and creative atmosphere!
Tell us about your wardrobe. What is your favourite items to go from a business meeting to after work drinks in town?
I’m a jeans girl and often will wear flat shoes, so for me, a pair of heels with jeans is easy for going out straight after work.
What are you lusting over at the moment from our collection?
I have just seen one of our buyers wearing the Grace Hill Crew Neck. It looks great on her and I will be ordering it in Stone!
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