A Working Life: The Fashion Buyer

Stepping into Coes department store in Ipswich, the first impression painted

by the seemingly endless rows of neatly hung jackets and trousers is of a
traditional mens' outfitters not unlike Grace Brothers in the much-repeated TV
sitcom Are You Being Served? Keen young sales assistants, impeccably
suited and booted, smile and wish me a good day over the displays of leather
cufflink boxes. Heading past rows of colourful "Suffolk uniform" Hunter
wellies, I make a beeline for the grand wooden staircase leading up to the
light and bright womenswear section. At the top, the distinctive Orla Kiely
bags and mugs mark a noticeable change of style. Energetically working the
floor in a stylish Ted Baker dress and vertiginous heels is Cheryl Rawlings,
who in July 2002 – as a fashion graduate straight out of college – was
recruited to help build the department from scratch. Joining as an assistant
buyer, she has worked her way up through the business to head
womenswear buying for this store and another in King's Lynn.

The fact that, historically, many of the store's most loyal customers have been
female makes it all the more surprising that the womenswear department is
such a recent development at Coes. "Women used to come here to help their
husbands choose their clothes, and the management felt, rightly, that they
should also be able to buy their clothes here," Rawlings says. Coes is an
independent, third-generation family firm, which opened in 1928. Legendary
in Suffolk not only for its hunting, shooting and fishing ranges, but also its
formal and schoolwear, it is located on a road out of town, where customers
can park right outside, and feels far from the hustle and bustle of the town
centre. On a cold Thursday afternoon a steady stream of female customers
trickles through the department, but Saturday tends to be the busiest day,
when families visit together.

The first womenswear collection at Coes went on sale in the spring of 2003,
and Rawlings admits that not everything made the tills ring: "We made a few
mistakes and we quickly learned, for example, that women do not dress their
age," she recalls. "They certainly don't want to wear what everybody else is
wearing at the golf club." But there is no such thing as an average customer.
"We have a very diverse range of ladies who shop with us." At the younger
end are the "school mums" – typically 35-plus – whose children may well be
pupils at the nearby independent school just up the hill. And, not surprisingly,
given the size of the retired population in Suffolk, there are many older
customers, too. The average outlay is between £400 and £500 on a complete
outfit, Rawlings reveals, with some customers also buying gifts and costume
jewellery as well as wardrobe staples. Very popular are signature pieces: a
well-cut coat or jacket, something they can dress up or down with jeans
and/or jewellery and other accessories, Rawlings explains. "They will invest in
classic, key pieces and they will pay a lot of money for the right item of
clothing." The range of stock sizes are officially 8–20, although the key selling
sizes are 12–16 and, like many women, customers are generally reluctant to
purchase the next size up.

The local joke is that in fashion terms, Ipswich always tends to be a season
behind the rest of the UK. A glance at the stock on Rawlings' shop floor
reveals a mixture of smart and casual day and evening wear: jeans and polo
shirts from Olsen and Ralph Lauren, and more contemporary brands such as
Hobbs and French Connection. Popular German labels such as Gerry Weber,
Basler and Hauber showcase a department that, if not at the cutting edge of
high fashion, offers quality style to women who know their comfort zone. "We
have a few 'hidden gems' such as the Olive and Orange brand for those that
are more slightly trend-led," she adds.

Jeans are a staple item and the Not Your Daughter designs, which cleverly
give "secret" support to the bottom and tummy, have been "a massive
success" – even if they are hardly a snip at £159.95. Rawlings is a self-
confessed fan of Vivienne Westwood, but knows only too well she cannot
stamp her own personal tastes on the department. With an eye on her
fashion crystal ball, she has to make sure the clothes strike the right balance
between current trends – such as maxi and tunic-style dresses – and classic
traditional pieces which sell well. She explains: "I love fashion and shopping,
and a key part of my job is researching future trends. But it wouldn't be
appropriate to try and sell really edgy designs here. That is not to say that we
don't stock labels we know will appeal to younger shoppers."

Born and educated locally, Rawlings says she always had "a creative streak"
and excelled at art and design. She decided at the eleventh hour not to do A-
levels, instead opting for a Btec national diploma in costume, fashion and
textiles as a more focused route to a career in fashion (in which she secured
a distinction), before taking a degree in fashion design at the Kent Institute of
Art and Design. Then it was decision time. "I always thought fashion design
as a career would be very competitive, and I was weighing up whether to
pursue that or illustration. At the end of my course in 2002 I put together my
final collection, which was very punk-orientated, having been greatly
influenced by Westwood. When I had finished my dissertation I decided to
come home to Suffolk to take stock and have a good think about what I
wanted to do next. I was keen to get straight into the world of work and then I
heard that Coes was looking for an assistant buyer." She got the job and has
since worked her way up, eventually taking charge of the department and –
as well as supervising the buying – managing the staff (four sales assistants)
with help from Fiona Coe, a member of the store's owning family.

In August 2004 she moved to King's Lynn to manage and buy for the
company's new branch – Goddard's – as well as continuing to buy for the
Ipswich store. By the following spring she had returned to Suffolk after being
promoted to womenswear manager and buyer for both Ipswich and King's
Lynn. Since giving birth to her son Ethan in January last year she has
continued to manage and buy for Ipswich, also overseeing the buying for
King's Lynn but taking a step back from day-to-day management. Her work
varies depending on the time of the year. When buying – typically at least six
months in advance of the relevant season – she will be away in London and
Europe, having made appointments to see representatives of manufacturers.
Visiting trade shows is also part and parcel of the job, with Pure in London
and Moda in Birmingham looming. The buying days are "utterly exhausting
but stimulating", Rawlings says. When she returns to Suffolk and has agreed
what the store will stock in the next season she puts together a glossy "look
book" for the staff, showing the selected outfits. She stresses that a fashion
buyer needs to have not just visual and creative flair, but also an
understanding of figures and accounts, and excellent organisational skills.

Asked about the impact of the recession, Rawlings is candid: "I can't pretend
it didn't affect us. Sales were flat for a while, but we are lucky to have such a
loyal customer base." And things are now on the up: "December [2010] was
the best month ever since we opened. The snow did not adversely affect our
sales. I want to build on this and make this department one of the most
profitable in the whole store. The bottom line is our number one priority. We
cannot afford to stock lines that are not going to sell." Rawlings is clearly
highly respected around the store and seems to relish the benefits of working
for a family-run business rather than a high street multiple. "I get an amazing
chance to put a real stamp on a department," she says. "I am lucky enough to
have very few limitations and if I can justify my reasoning for an action it
inevitably gets the green light." She also enjoys an excellent working
relationship with the store's managing director. "The strong family values here
create a great working atmosphere and make you feel supported in having a
positive home-work balance," she says.

There are some grand plans are on the horizon. One challenge is building up
online shopping. At the same time she is angling for more space for her 3,500
sq ft shop floor, hopeful that she will be the beneficiary of Coes' ongoing
expansion and refurbishment plans. "Fingers crossed we can double the
amount of space with another floor," she says. She could then fill the much-
needed gap of footwear (the store only sells sports shoes and the ubiquitous
Hunter wellies) and stock a wider selection of occasion and evening wear.
For now, though, just keeping the tills ringing will do very nicely.
 Seminar questions

1. What kind of buyer in the subject of this article? Retail buyer for
large institution

2. What fact signals to the reader the very traditional aspect to the
menswear offer? That the store sells “leather cuff-link boxes”

3. What type of clothes offered indicates the rural nature of the site?
Hunter wellies, the hunting, shooting & fishing ranges

4. What does vertiginous mean? Very high How about ubiquitous?

Found everywhere

5. What skills did the interviewee bring to the job? Ability to form
good working relationships, knowledge of the design process

6. What was one of the first lessons she learned? That women do
not dress their age What were the consequences of this fact? Un-
sold stock – the tills ‘did not ring”

7. How far in advance is she buying stock? 6 months. What can you
deduce from this? That she is not looking for cat-walk-led trends

8. What key tenet of the fashion buyer’s trade is articulated here?

That you cannot impose your own taste on the consumer. That she
is not searching for catwalk-led trends in the garments