As part of Fashion United’s Work In Fashion series, Jess Tedds,
International Wholesale Senior Manager at womenswear brand Quiz Clothing,
shares the ins and outs of her job and her top tips for a career in fashion
wholesale.
What is your background?
From a young age, I have always had a passion for working in fashion and
as soon as I was able to work, I secured a part-time job at River Island
while at Leicester College. After school, I completed a two-year BTEC
course in Fashion Design. From there, I secured a place at the Retail
Academy in London for a BA Hons in Fashion Buying & Merchandising for a
one-year intensive course. I deferred my place for a year to apply for a
Fashion Administrator role for a menswear supplier in Leicester, supplying
to the likes of Next. After two nerve-wracking interviews, I got the job!
After one year I was promoted from my Administrator role to Product
Developer and in two years I was officially made an Account Manager. I was
lucky enough to travel all over the world, visiting factories and fabric
mills from Bangladesh to Vietnam and doing comparison shopping trips to
Paris, Amsterdam and Los Angeles! It was an amazing experience and I was
lucky enough to work with some incredibly talented people along the way,
learning all the dynamics of the business from quality control to
merchandising and design.
The company I worked for then relocated to London to grow its portfolio
with a greater focus on accounts in the South, so I jumped at the
opportunity and moved to London. Once there, I worked with established
retailers such as ASOS, Primark and Burtons, where I was the Account
Manager for men’s swimwear. It was so much fun!
How did you advance to your current role?
In 2016, I re-located to Glasgow to be with my partner and was offered a
brand-new role at Quiz as an e-commerce wholesale manager within the
international team. As retail moved online, it was a fantastic opportunity
for me to help grow the business and source new international wholesale
partners. Fast forward two and a half years and Quiz is now in multiple
international markets, stores and concessions, as well as online.
What does your job role entail?
I am the main contact for all our international wholesale partners and
work closely with our partners in the USA who have both a web and store
offer across the East Coast of America. I’m also regularly in talks with
new potential partners, visiting their offices and presenting our
product.
What does a typical day in your job look like?
There is no such thing as a typical day at Quiz. As I work with mostly
international partners, by the time I get into work in the morning my
mailbox is flooded with emails. With a strong cup of coffee, I start
answering them
.
Most of my day is spent working closely with the buyers to ensure the
smooth delivery of our products. I also analyse weekly sales reports, so I
can offer to replenish stock or style alternatives as well as input all our
partners’ weekly orders whilst managing their budget and monthly spend. In
addition, I work closely with the international marketing team to ensure we
are involved in seasonal marketing opportunities to help drive brand
awareness in the new territories.
What kind of skills do you need to be effective in your role?
I would say confidence and charisma is key to this role. You are
essentially a salesperson and speaking to new people every day, so you need
to come across as passionate and enthusiastic about what you do. You also
need good time management skills to ensure you can meet your daily tasks
and partner deadlines.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
That every day is different and the opportunities for growth are
endless. The sky is the limit working within the international team at
Quiz.
Is there anything you don’t like so much?
I’m not a huge fan of the admin side, but I know it has to be done.
How does working in wholesale differ from other sales or retail
roles?
It’s completely the opposite end of retail from my previous role. I used
to supply to the brands, however, I now work for a brand where I wholesale
the product to other global fashion destinations.
I’ve also really enjoyed moving across to womenswear from menswear.
Womenswear is constantly changing and is very trend driven. Factory
lead-times in my previous role used to be 3-4 months and we were working on
collections a full year in advance. However, at Quiz we are very reactive
to the latest trends and our lead-times and repeats are as quick as 2-4
weeks. So, it’s a huge difference.
How do you measure success in your role?
We look at the weekly sales of our stockists. Although it is wholesale
and they own the stock, we can still glean a lot about what is working
well, and which lines are resonating with customers. This way, I can
support them further by offering repeats and tailoring exclusives for their
specific market.
Do you feel working in wholesale offers solid and varied career
development opportunities?
Absolutely, there is massive potential for growth within wholesale as
there are always new third-party businesses constantly looking to expand
their brand mix, whether that’s offline and online. Within Quiz there are
also many different categories to wholesale such as footwear, menswear and
our curve range.
Do you have any tips for anyone looking to pursue a career in
fashion?
Try and gain as much experience as possible within the fashion and
retail industry. Make sure you talk to everyone you come across and learn
from their experience and absorb as much of their knowledge as you can.
These relationships are key, so don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Within wholesale, your main role will be maintaining good working
relationships with your partners and selling product that you believe in,
so make sure you are constantly working on your people skills. Most
importantly love what you do, as life is just too short for it to be any
other way!
Photos courtesy of the brand
