How I Became - a Fashion Buyer.
How I Became - a fashion buyer w/ Josie Wiley.
Welcome to the ‘How I Became’ series where Billie talks to girls across New Zealand who are killing it in their chosen career and see how they got there!
Trying to decide what you ‘want to be when you grow up’ is hard enough as it is and your careers counsellor probably won’t have all the answers you need.
HIB aims to give you a bit of insight into different career paths and what it takes to get there.
Name: Josie Wiley
Age: 34
Job title: Womenswer Buyer
Current Job: Superette (who are celebrating their 20th birthday this week!)
Firstly, what drew you to fashion?
I have grown up with my mother being involved in Fashion, Textiles and Interior Design so I have been surrounded by it from a young age. This has helped me to appreciate fabrication and form, early on. I also used to love playing dress ups with my sisters, so having fun with fashion is something I still enjoy today. Grown-up dress ups!
What subjects did you take in high school that you think helped?
I was always more of a creative student (Math and Science, not so much!), so Photography and Art were the subjects I enjoyed the most. This helped me extend my awareness to finding and understanding the beauty in anything. I was also a competitive Rower and loved sports, so this helped me appreciate the fabrication components in Performance wear, learning about the technical elements of what fabrics keep you warm, dry and cool.
Combining the elements of looking at your subject through a lens or still life, and in the motion of movement, helped me understand how function, form and fashion can go hand in hand.
What did your pathway towards starting your career look like?
I left school to study Photography further, however I changed my mind last minute to study Sport Science. I always worked in Fashion and Hospitality so this helped me learn the fundamentals of how important customer service is, how to be productive, proactive, and thinking quickly on my feet.
What did you study/where/how long did it take?
I went to Massey University in Wellington and studied Health Science Majoring in Biomechanics and Sport, Exercise and Prescription. I was there for 5 years. A long time!
What’s the best thing about your job?
Working with such a dynamic company that encourages growth from all departments. I am super grateful to still be here 11 years on, and growing with the business. We work with such amazing people and it's like a family. I also love the relationships I build with our designers and suppliers. Some I have known for many years and some are new, that's the beauty of the fashion world, things are constantly changing and growing so you are always meeting new people.
What’s the hardest part?
Not being able to travel these past two years for sure! We travel to Sydney often, so I am very much looking forward to getting back over there to see all our friends in the industry.
What does an average day look like for you?
Each day is very different as it depends where we are in the Season. It can start with store visits, showings or team meetings. Lots of budget work, reporting, buying and collaborating with our amazing Teams and Stores to help with the collective and overall goal of ensuring our customers are loving what we offer, and to constantly bring the World the best curation for all their daily needs.
What advice would you give to those looking to follow a similar career path?
I was lucky and sort of fell into this role. I was working in Retail elsewhere while figuring out what I wanted to do after University. I saw a position for an ‘Online Returns and Customer Service’ position at Superette and the rest is history! As Superette was a much smaller team this allowed me to move around in different departments until I found my feet and passion which was Buying. I know some Universities offer this as a Degree however I think getting your foot in the door is super important too. Starting out in Retail was imperative for learning about who your customer is, and back-end systems. If you then get the chance to assist or intern at a Head Office that's a great next step to develop and learn the ropes.
What are the biggest challenges in your opinion to getting into fashion buying?
I think the opportunity to get into fashion buying is a bit more limited in New Zealand, however if you are determined you just need one role to get your foot in the door.
What part of your job gives you the most satisfaction?
Seeing your colleagues and customers love what you bring in, and wear for years and years.
What has been an absolute highlight of your career?
The brands I have bought in. Some top tier brands such as Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler, Golden Goose are brands I used to dream about working with back in the day.
What’s an unexpected element to your job that people don’t realise you have to do?
A lot of budget work and reporting. We use a lot of data and analytics to curate our best buys, it's not all gut instinct.
Describe your job in three words
Fast-paced, evolving, fun.
Superette are celebrating 20 years in business as of this week! Head over to @superettestore on Insta to see all the birthday goodness!
