Last week, my supervisor surprised me by taking me to GUESS’
handbag showroom to see the new handbag collections for spring 2014. The
handbag showroom is in a different GUESS office here in Hong Kong. I went with
my supervisor, along with two buyers for the Hong Kong/Macau region who are on the team. Upon arriving at the office, we were brought to the showroom, which
was stocked with all kinds of snacks and drinks for us to enjoy. The showroom
was completely white, with clear glass furnishings and clear glass cubes
hanging from the ceilings, which displayed the handbags and wallets. We
went around the room and looked at each bag – testing color, detailing, feel, and weight. Afterward, the
buyers went around the room again and made their own notes on what would and
would not be successful in the Hong Kong/Macau region. They will use this
information to place the order for Spring 2014 handbags at the end of July.
After going to the handbag showroom, my supervisor took me
with her to see a fitting! She wanted to show me a “day in the life” of a
merchandising manager. We went to yet another GUESS office about a half hour
away. I met GUESS Asia’s fit model, GiGi. She was fitted for knit, denim, and
outerwear for Fall and Winter 2013-2014. The team critiqued the fit, color,
stitching, and embellishment placement of each garment – placing pins in areas
that needed improvement. They took GiGi’s opinion into consideration a lot as
well – asking her about the feel, comfort, and fit of each garment she put on.
It was awesome to be able to see first-hand what goes on at a fitting!
Unfortunately I could not take pictures of the fitting, but one of the jackets GiGi tried on was similar to this one above - from GUESS' last winter collection!
Although it was a long day, it was so rewarding to be able
to get a behind the scenes look at what a merchandising manager does on a
day-to-day basis.
Lexi Baril - GUESS
Lexi Baril - GUESS
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