How do you get a job in purchasing, and what studies do you need to get there?

Purchasing plays a major role in all companies in the retail and luxury.

Passionate about fashion, buyers are the first to discover the latest trends from the four corners of the globe. What's more, a fashion and luxury company's purchasing department plays a major strategic role in the launch of new products and collections.

This is a growth area in the world of fashion and luxury. In this article, we'll explain what you need to study to work in purchasing.

The main tasks required of the purchasing department.

1. Continuous monitoring of market progress.

   In fact, buyers need to be on the lookout for the latest fashion trends. They need to know what's going to happen tomorrow on the major international fashion and luxury markets.

2. Éaccurately assess the best prices for the brand's products.

   In this way, the buyer knows better than anyone the state and economic evolution of the brand, but also of its competitors.

3. Travel extensively to be the first to discover the products that will be all the rage..

   When you work in purchasing, you need to be able to spot new suppliers or new creations anywhere in the world.

4. Finally, working in purchasing means being unrivalled in the art of negotiation.

   In fact, the buyer has to get the best quality/price ratio, so he has to negotiate every cost, as well as manufacturing times.

The skills required to work in purchasing for a fashion brand.

Being a buyer is a very rich profession, requiring a wide range of skills.

1. Curiosity, passion and self-sacrifice... are the three watchwords for working in fashion or luxury purchasing. Working in purchasing for a retail company means being passionate about fashion, and having an insatiable thirst for discovery.

2. Excellent interpersonal skills. Traveling all over the world in search of new products and trends requires excellent interpersonal skills. That's why you need to be able to meet lots of people, adapt and, quite often, show a little nerve!

3. A keen negotiator. Working in purchasing requires a keen sense of negotiation. After drawing up purchasing plans, the buyer enters a lengthy negotiation phase with the various suppliers. The aim is to negotiate the best prices, within the shortest lead-times, for the highest quality.

4. Perfect command of English. To be a buyer, it's essential to be virtually bilingual in at least one language. In addition, knowledge of the international fashion market, as well as the various constraints linked to transport, delivery or manufacturing policies specific to a given country, are essential elements to master.

What studies should I follow to work in purchasing for a fashion brand?

The Bachelor in Fashion and Digital Marketing: a professional training course

To be hired in the purchasing department of a fashion and luxuryIf you're interested in becoming a buyer, one of the most sensible paths to take is a professional training course. This training enables you to acquire the theoretical knowledge required to become a buyer, while at the same time taking part in regular internships with companies to gain first-hand experience of the profession.

Visit Bachelor in Fashion and Digital Marketing offered by ISAL Paris provides a comprehensive training program that will eventually lead to a career in the purchasing department of a fashion brand.

Courses are offered every year thanks to our many partners in the fashion and luxury. Internships abroad, such as in China, are offered on a regular basis. These enable you to enrich your professional network and learn foreign languages.

An MBA to obtain the high-level skills required to work in purchasing.

The International MBA is a highly sought-after course of study for business-related professions in the global economy. mode.

Visit MBA Marketing & Innovation enables you to acquire in-depth skills in the purchasing profession in fashion. Courses are taught by seasoned fashion and luxury industry professionals.

Long-term work experience in companies and a variety of case studies transform the student throughout the two-year course into a fashion management professional in France and abroad.