Fashion L'amour

Fashion buying | Loizos Sofokleous | Feature |

What is a fashion buyer? What’s involved? If you’ve ever wondered… we’re here to help. We spoke with a fashion buyer, Loizos Sofokleous, to find out more. 

1. Tell us about how Loizos fell in love with fashion in general

To answer that question i must first admit my love for fashion isn’t something i ‘ discovered, i mean i didn’t know until i knew ; and when I really knew, I knew is who i was and what i was meant to be doing. It all happened believe it or not while watching the movie ‘ Devil wears Prada’, where Meryl Streep embodying the iconic role of Miranda Priestly. The very next day, i just had a different kind of view about the world of fashion

2. How did you end up as a fashion buyer?  

I started my career as a visual stylist and a merchandiser, so it wasn’t farfetched to want to become a buyer, as merchandisers and fashion buyers work hand in hand to plan and make buying decisions based on customers’ buying patterns and budgets. I was always fascinated by a buyer’s lifestyle, till one day a job opportunity came in the firm i was working in and couldn’t say no! Needless to say it was when I truly discovered my niche.

3. How would you describe the world of fashion buying to the average
person

Let me start by saying for many this is considered a dream job! You do a lot of travelling to the fashion capitals, working closely with designers and negotiating with their sales representative in wholesale showrooms. You attend trade fairs and fashion shows to observe trends to know what to stock in store for next season in combination with reports and many analytical stuff. However, being a buyer really is about having a certain level of commerciality as creativity is too balanced out.

4. What is something you truly love about being a fashion buyer?

I always knew I wanted to have a job that includes travelling. A really rewarding thing is walking around the city and see customers wearing what you have bought in everyday life or walking into an event and see people dressed up in pieces you have chosen for them. it’s kind of a special feeling.

5. Anything you don’t like about it?

Let me tell you it is something, perfect jobs do not exist! Even if we truly love what we do , some tasks are just difficult, for example the cold calling into negotiations with new brands, market analysis, reports etc. All that glamour and extravaganza I was talking about earlier disappears the moment you walk into an internal discussion with your managers who many times unrealistic expectations .  

 6. Tell us about your personal style, how would you describe it in a few words

I like to constantly experiment with my looks and I truly embrace the art of hi-lows. Mixing high-end designers with fast-fashion affordable items it’s my secret . Connecting the dots between the two is always challenging and I do like challenge . You might see me rocking Christian Dior runway look with my dad’s vintage shoes and a bag I got from Zara. I just adore that.

7. If you were to have one big designer dress you everyday, who would it
be?

Without second thought I can say Kim Jones, I have been a crazy fan from the moment he replaced Paul Herbes in 2011 at Louis Vuitton till now at Dior. He never stops to amaze me on how effortlessly chic  his pieces are. I am really convinced there can be luxury in simplicity as Jil Sander once said.

8. Does being a fashion buyer help with a being a stylist? We notice you do both

As a stylist I always follow all the runways and the latest trends and due to the fact I also do personal shopping, it really helps me understand the market and what is needed for the crowd I am choosing clothes for.

9. What’s your opinion on fast fashion?

Being a buyer it is hard to have an opinion on this as you see the effort behind every designers work and unfortunately many times the imitations that they create in fast fashion are exact the same copies.. Once I remember I worked into a store and they had they whole collection of Celine on their racks and it totally blew my mind how out of control this is but on the other hand some people call it inspiration. I have mixed feelings about it.

10. Tell us something that many people would be surprised with about the world of fashion buyers.

In general I can say it is much harder that it seems as its really analytical and reactive business. As a Buyer you always need to have in mind the needs and wants of your customers and not what YOU like. Just because you have a certain style doesn’t mean that your customer will love it too.

11. Whats next for Loizos? 

I‘ve been working on bringing back my blog Soigné back to life and for  quite some time now i have been working for a new start up brand called Chartier. Philippe Chartier is an innovative made-to-measure clothing designer with a unique vision that decided to step into the world of pret-a-porter including premium fabrics, superlative tailoring and luxury service. I am talking about clothing that transforms the meaning of executive tailoring and executive presence.