Why did you move from client side to fashion buying agency side?<\/h3>\n
While I was enjoying my work at Fashion And You, working for a fashion buying agency is totally different from working for the client.<\/p>\n
When you are working for an agency, you feel the pressure of the buyers. They are very demanding. Their design sensibility is way ahead.<\/p>\n
I like to be challenged and wanted to see the working model of Indian fashion manufacturing industry, which I couldn\u2019t do while working on the client side.<\/p>\n
A fashion buying agency oversees everything and helps the manufacturers. We don\u2019t produce or manufacture the goods ourselves.\u00a0We act as a support system for manufacturers and buyers.<\/p>\n
A fashion buying agency physically connects buyers to exporters or manufacturers. It simply gets clients and give their orders to factories or vendors.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Tell us about your current company and its role in India\u2019s fashion industry.<\/h3>\n
Impulse<\/a> is a fashion buying agency in India. It physically connects buyers to exporters or manufacturers. We simply get clients and give their orders to factories or vendors.<\/p>\n
There are over 50 designers across our India Impulse team. We have two main offices in Gurgaon, one in Bangalore, one in Tirupur and a small office in Bangladesh as well.<\/p>\n
A fashion buying agency has several departments in its business:<\/p>\n
Finance department \u2013 that checks the credibility of new clients and manages accounts of current clients.<\/p>\n
Marketing and sales department \u2013 their primary motive is to get more business, i.e. new clients.<\/p>\n
The design department \u2013 where many designers like me work on creating new ranges for clients.<\/p>\n
Merchandising department \u2013 looks after the process of manufacturing after the order has been approved by the client.<\/p>\n
Depending on the size of the client, the agency may set up an entire team around them or group a few smaller clients and have one team look after them.<\/p>\n
What kind of clientele does a buying agency cater to?<\/h3>\n
We cater to all kinds of clients \u2013 international brands, niche ones or local brands.<\/span><\/p>\n
We have “catalogue” clients, or in other words businesses that sell fashion via the catalogue distribution model.<\/span><\/p>\n
And we also work with boutique clients and designer brands for whom we cater to with a special team of designers tailored to their specific needs.<\/span><\/p>\n
What is your role at Impulse buying agency?<\/h3>\n
I am the Senior Designer at Impulse. I have an assistant designer who works with me on my clients.<\/p>\n
My role is to make new ranges or design developments for my clients.<\/p>\n
After the client has approved the designs I have proposed, I make the samples with the help of Spec Packs<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Ayushi Nath, Sr. Designer at Impulse fashion buying agency<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n What is the working process of a Designer at a Fashion Buying Agency?<\/h3>\n
The process of design is mostly the same regardless of the clients we work with. The steps are usually as follows:<\/p>\n
\n
- First, the designer will sketch the idea, either digitally by using Photoshop or Illustrator<\/a> or by hand.<\/li>\n
- Then they look at the fashion and forecasting reports. This is available on WGSN\u00a0<\/a>where they\u00a0can see trend stories, colours, information from trade shows, etc.<\/li>\n
- Depending on the brief, they may research a competitor work or simply research an idea.<\/li>\n
- Next, come the storyboards. The designer will develop the idea into a series of sketches and product ideas.<\/li>\n
- After the storyboards are ready, they get fabrics from mills they work with closely.<\/li>\n
- They create prototypes and then, trim, button, etc. matching takes place<\/li>\n
- Once everything is agreed on, they shall proceed to make the first sample.<\/li>\n
- Once the sample is approved, they will document the product in a Spec pack.<\/li>\n
- After the final sample is made, the final spec pack is sent to the merchandising team with the reference that the buyer had picked the design from the design team.<\/li>\n
- The buyer then asks the merchandising team to do the necessary changes requested by the client and they create a client proto sample<\/a>. This sample made from the same factory which had made the original sample.<\/li>\n
- This proto sample is sent to the buyer again for approval.<\/li>\n
- Then comes final order quantity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The entire process takes approx. 3 months.<\/p>\n
How important is the quality control for the buyers?<\/h3>\n
It is very important. Our Quality Control team keeps travelling to see the progress of the products and samples.<\/p>\n
Items like zippers, beads, pearls, trims, etc. have approved vendors and our merchandising team ensures that the factory is getting these items from the approved vendors only. After the products are made, the factory ships it directly to the buyer.<\/p>\n
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