Fashion Retail Management - Personal Statement - Essay Example

Fashion speaks to me on a personal level. Since I was a child, I have been fascinated with fashion. My undying passion drove me into pursuing a career in Fashion Retail Management. Looking at the past, I have come to realize that I always relate everything I do to fashion, form the way I view people to the way I manage my wardrobe. Even though others may consider it an obsession, to me it is an aspiration. I always spend most of my time researching about brands, bloggers, items, companies and strategies of fashion houses and usually meditate how I would have managed their processes differently.

In my teens, I would design my own cloths and oversee the tailoring. Soon after, I realized that I was becoming ‘an advisor’ to my friends and colleagues on matters of fashion. This led to my designing and selling of gowns and participation in the management of a few local fashion shows and events where some of my pieces were displayed. My first job was with Zara, a leading fashion retail outlet.Working in the sales department, I learnt how to interact with customers andhow to position and place stocks.

Moreover, I learnt about the management of supply chain. My second job was as an intern at Azadea, a leading fashion retail company operating throughout the Middle East and Africa. I worked in the fashion department, mentored by the Brand Manager. At Azadea, the importance of retail management in today’s world became clearer and reshaped my ambition. I was placed with the senior buyer for two months in which I: Overlooked the weekly store status reports for 40 stores throughout the Middle East.

Interactedwith the store managers in order to keep up with the daily sales daily. Prepared a presentation based on my personal taste and creativity for a potential collection, including outfits inspired by recent trends and coordination details. Kept track of the brands page on social media as well as sending daily posts of advertised clothing. Participated in the weekly ordering and decisions of purchase and allocations for the brands Gymboree, Crazy8 and Janie &Jack throughout all their shops in the Middle East.

Assisted the Senior Brand Manager, who mentored me on the management of all his eight brands (Gymboree, Crazy 8, Janie&Jack, Tezenis, Zara Home, Intimissimi, Marypaz and Calzedonia). During my internship, there were plans on extending Gymboree into an online virtual store. I attended meetings where I used my knowledge on online shopping to participate in decision-making. I also assisted the senior brand manager with the monthly reports and strategic decisions. We also attended meetings for new locations and potential brands possible to acquire under AZADEA, investigating competitors and traffic areas.

Currently I am interning for a team that previously worked with the luxury designer Zuhair Murad. This experience has allowed me to gain multi-channel retail knowledge, supervisory skills and to work effectively as part of a team in a busy environment. I believe the Introduction to Masters Study (Online short course) will offer me a crucial opportunity to grow my profession even further. Learning is a continuous journey that never ends. Growing up I watched my Dad working hard to become as successful businessman.

He reminded me throughout difficult times that hard work is key to success. Heeding his advice, I am soon completing my first degree in Business Management and thereafter register for an MA in Retail Fashion Management will help me attain my goal. I now feel that I am confident, self-motivated, and determined. My eventual career objective is to establish a multi-channel based virtual store which will also serve as a blog. By offering variety of selectable fashionable items, I will be able to broaden the affordability bracket in fashion by mixing high-end with low-end.

This course will help me gain management insights in the retail sector and further expand my selection process expertise and media to potentially succeed in my future endeavors. With this course, I will professionally be able to critically evaluate trends in consumption in order to assess my target market as well as broader societal and economic changes. My creative expertise will add to that to design and implement creative technologies fitting the retail brand and the convergence of the physical and virtual store.

I believe I have the intellectual ability to successfully pursue this program, which is central to achieving my childhood dream.