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Breaking Into The Fashion Industry: Interview With A Young Buyer BY ALEXZANDRA LIZAMA 3 APRIL, 2014
Dylan McCann, An UpandComing Assistant Buyer for Zappos.com, gives us insight on her experience breaking into the fashion industry.
LONDON, United Kingdom — “I don’t think that you need to be cuttingedge to work in fashion, it is a business and you should be respected for what you know rather than how you look,” Dylan states with a look of defiance flashing across her face. She goes on to recount a story about her internship at Marie Claire following her third year in college, which shaped her views on the industry and taught her what she was looking for in her own career. “It was a total nightmare,” she says of the internship. “It was like the Devil Wears Prada, you can’t even make eye contact with certain people as an intern. But I learned that I wanted to have a job where I could use smarts to get ahead instead of dealing with cattiness.”
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The young, bubbly 23year old is currently working as an assistant buyer for Zappos.com, a U.S.based online shoe retailer that has grown virally since its 1999 start, where she manages a portfolio of around 140 surf, skate, athletic, and outdoor Junior’s shoe brands. She spends much of her day forecasting sales, building plans, trend forecasting and buying product, although she also occasionally attends trade shows and hosts meet and greets for venders. Today her face emerges over our Skype connection, all naturally curly hair and bright smiling eyes. It is 11 P.M. in Las Vegas, and she is currently sporting a ratty maroon tee that she wore home from the gym after a long 12hour day in the office. “I work around 65 hours a week and workout every day” Dylan explains, her demeanor upbeat. “I don’t have a lot of free time. During the weekends I spend my time by the pool and enjoying my ‘Starbuck’s Sundays’, blogging and doing work.” Dylan graduated from The College of William and Mary in 2012 with a degree in Marketing. “I applied to 13 schools all outside of Minnesota. I just wanted to get out,” she explains blushing slightly. “William and Mary gave me real life experience and taught me how to think critically and solve problems, which is so important as a buyer. You are always on your toes thinking, doing math, and using excel.” Dylan’s enthusiasm for fashion began at age nine when she learned how to sew in Home Economics and began modeling her handmade designs at the county and state fairs in her home city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. “I really began by doing the design side of fashion” Dylan reminisces, “but both of my parents own their own businesses and encouraged me to pursue that aspect of the industry.” For the past six years she has kept a blog, alwaydolledup.com, which she began as a means to build a portfolio, believing at the time that she wanted to pursue fashion journalism. Now she describes it as a creative outlet, with her favorite blogging topic being dating and relationships,
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although she also blogs about fashion and career advice. “I feel like I've been through the ringer with relationships,” Dylan sighs. “I almost got engaged my senior year, but then I broke up with my college sweetheart. He was my identity.” She hopes that her blogging will give advice to girls who are currently in relationship or career positions that she has experienced. In terms of her buying strategy, Dylan professes that she is always searching for the best discounts. “The most difficult part of being a buyer is being limited by a budget,” Dylan explains. “Zappos is growing more than 100% year to year and being a part of something growing is exciting. Having to turn down growth opportunities because of my budget is difficult.” When juggling trend forecasting and budgeting as a young buyer, making mistakes tends to be an inevitable part of the learning process. “One time I bought 1,000 pairs of women’s purple sneakers from Creative Recreation, traditionally a men's street brand, and we still have pairs about a year later,” Dylan divulges. “They were my first big risk that failed. But don’t let one failure hold you back from taking risks. If you’re not making mistakes you’re doing something wrong.” And as for breaking into the industry, Dylan advises aspiring students to just stay openminded and persistent. “You really need to be resilient and never stop applying [for jobs]. I applied to over 200 places. Don’t be too particular, be openminded about the company and the location. Sometimes getting the job itself can be a fulltime job.” Word Count: 750 Words