Strategist, Fashion Buying

📋 Description

• • Own the creation of high-impact, solution-driven reports that translate global fashion trends into clear, commercial buying strategies for WGSN’s worldwide client base. You will interpret catwalk, social, search and e-commerce data through the eyes of a seasoned buyer, distilling complex insights into actionable product opportunities at item, category and divisional level.
• • Act as the internal authority on fashion buying, advising colleagues in Forecasting, Global Content, Sales, Marketing and Product Development on how assortment decisions are really made. Your guidance will shape the direction of multi-million-dollar product ranges and influence the strategic priorities of the entire Buying vertical.
• • Partner with Data Analysts to interrogate proprietary data sets—ranging from sell-through rates and pricing elasticity to sustainability metrics—then craft narratives that help buyers mitigate risk and maximise margin. You will be equally comfortable with SQL queries and mood-boards, turning numbers into stories that resonate.
• • Lead and contribute to macro- and micro-trend research sprints, ensuring every insight is grounded in the realities of the seasonal development calendar. You will map trend trajectories against critical buying milestones such as line adoption, cost negotiation, supplier booking and final buy confirmation.
• • Represent WGSN Buying at client briefings, trade shows, press interviews and internal R&D sessions. Whether you are on stage in Paris, hosting a webinar for 300 merchants or presenting to the C-suite of a global retailer, you will command the room with authority, clarity and minimal preparation time.
• • Travel up to 25 % of the year to key markets—New York, London, Milan, Copenhagen, Shanghai and beyond—to capture emerging product shifts, nurture retailer relationships and feed first-hand intelligence back into the global content pipeline.
• • Collaborate cross-functionally with WGSN Mindset, our high-touch consultancy arm, to design and deliver bespoke workshops, range-planning clinics and strategic deep-dives for flagship accounts. Your involvement will directly drive upsell opportunities and deepen client loyalty.
• • Champion continuous improvement by analysing internal traffic metrics, client feedback and competitive benchmarking to refine report formats, visual templates and storytelling techniques. You will pilot new content types—video explainers, interactive dashboards, TikTok-style reels—whenever they enhance clarity and engagement.
• • Mentor junior members of the Buying team, sharing best-practice frameworks for trend validation, data visualisation and deadline management. Your leadership will raise the collective standard of work and ensure every deliverable meets WGSN’s rigorous editorial guidelines.
• • Maintain an always-on radar for industry disruptions—be it supply-chain shocks, sustainability legislation or Gen-Z shopping behaviours—so that our forecasts remain ahead of the curve and our clients stay one step ahead of their competition.