Fashion Buyer.
Fashion tells our story. It gives us a creative outlet where we are able to express ourselves through our clothes in order to contribute to an extension of who we are.
It’s a magical, extravagant, bizarre and wonderful world where creativity and imagination prevail and it is one that I have always been entertained by.
My own fashion sense has changed dramatically over the years. I remember in secondary school for ‘mufti’ days (meaning wear your own clothes days) I would always be one of the best dressed where my friends would be in a constant state of excitement over what I would choose to wear next as ultimately, I was daring - I would be the first to rock up in double denim or the first to wear that knock off juicy couture tracksuit and people would always look to me to be inspired. But, that was when I was younger. Nowadays, after having travelled the world and not really caring so much about my appearance as I once did, my fashion sense has … shifted. I now care less about trends and more about dressing for my mood and if that means wearing the same black leggings for 5 days, then that’s what I’ll be doing. Don’t get me wrong, I love to see what’s out there yet I always wait until the season has passed in order to buy it, as doesn’t everyone draw from old fashion trends to inspire the future anyway?
Regardless of my take on fashion, I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by passionate and inspiring people who have a name within the fashion world and I decided, after being prodded and told, that it would be a great opportunity for me to offer up some of my time to embark on a ‘fashion adventure’.
Fashion buying is a foreign land to me where aliens exist and suddenly I found myself armed in my black leggings, being surrounded by so many clothes that it was slightly overwhelming. I was given a short brief and then thrust into chambers of colour where I had to use my own artistic liberties to source out different items and materials that could naturally draw the eye and therefore sell.
(This literally was an opportunity for me to get paid … for shopping. Isn’t that something that every girl dreams of? I’m sure I probably wrote that as my dream job when I was 15, well that and being a Vet…)
In total, I think that I spent around 4 hours sprinkling through the confetti of garments and I have to admit, I loved every second of it. It was exhilarating to go around the city and explore areas that I had never even paid attention to before. It was intoxicating to search for different styles and awaken my inner fashion queen and most of all, it was thrilling to witness the art of imagination through clothing. My 15 year old self would be going crazy if she knew what she would be doing a few years down the line and I count myself really fortunate in the fact that I have been able to do so.
Embarking on this adventure has helped to reinvigorate my past passion by re-immersing myself back into an environment that I had taken myself away from. I won’t say goodbye to my black leggings or dressing for my mood (as comfort is king), but I also won’t wait for fashion trends to come and go and instead want to go back to creating some of my own.
Nikki x
