Summer Holiday In Dubai

Hi Lilys,

 

So I had an amazing time in Dubai. I'm back home and I have the holiday blues.
I went with my family plus my auntie, 2 of my cousins and my grandma. 
The weather was extremely hot around 40 degrees. We stayed at Jumeriah Zabeel Saray it was a beautiful hotel, I could not ask for more. It was like a dream.
 
We did a lot of relaxing by the pool and on the beach and did some paddle boarding and kayaking. Went to Dubai Mall, Emirates Mall which are the biggest shopping Malls I have ever seen! Shopping heaven! We were hoping to book a Sky Dive over the Palm however it was fully booked :( maybe next time though!!
 

Here are some of my favourite photos from Dubai:

View from the top of the Burj Khalifa - Tallest building in the world

View from the top of the Burj Khalifa - Tallest building in the world

Ready for the beach

Cool head jewellery - at Madinet Souk

Burj  Al Arab - such a beautiful hotel

Jumeriah Zabeel Saray Hotel

At Mina A'Salam Hotel

 Thanks for reading everyone!

Love LilyLish x

New Beginnings

Hi Lilys,

When I started this blog it was because I love fashion - trends, fabrics, colours..you name it! I was using my blog as a tool to enter the clothing world and fill my time with something positive whilst looking for work. Well, I found the job I was looking for and enjoyed my time there. But having worked there for over a year I realised it was not something I wanted to purse as a career.  I am starting a postgraduate course in September called Psychology in Counselling. I am really excited to start this course but I am also really frightened because it will be a lot of hard work for the next year!!

Because it has been a long time since I last updated my blog I didn’t get to share with you some of my experiences, so I will fill you in a little now. I finished working in May and I ended up going to Germany and staying for a month. Specifically, I stayed in centre of Cologne (Köln) which is a very cool and fun area.

I used the time there to relax and learn about a new culture/country and it was great. I did so many things whilst there. I went to the cathedral this is the main historic landmark, went to Köln Zoo and Aquarium, went to a theme park called Phantasia Land, went to a lovely cute town called Aachen and travelled to a city close by called Düsseldorf. We did something fun and different by going to Belgium to watch a Le Mans race called 6 hours of Spa which was great because Toyota Motorsports won. I also went for countless coffees in different cafes and went for walks around the city, around parks, by the river Rein and went for many dinners and drinks with new friends.

I had such a wonderful time there and I miss the place and certain people a lot. All in all it was an experience I won't forget.

Here are some pics :)

My cute Cappuccino

In Spa, Belgium having a photo with this Ferrari in the Pit Lane

In Rudolfplatz

Relaxing with an ice cream in Aachen

Phantasia Land - Theme Park

Cool street art

River Rein

 Love LilyLish x

Becoming A Buyers Admin Assisant

Hi Lilys,

So I have been working at Sainsbury’s Head Office for 11 months now as a Buyers Admin Assistant. My first few months working here I was on Toddler Boys, then I moved over to Children’s Essentials. My product area is nightwear, hosiery and socks for boys and girls.  I love the product on this department, we work with different licensors such as Disney and work with so many different characters such as Moshi Monster, Angry Birds, Peppa Pig. The product we produce is fun, cute with a bit of fashion.

For anyone interested in going down the clothing buying route, I started off with going to university studying Fashion Buying at Manchester Metropolitan University. When finding a job or work placement companies prefer if you have had a fashion related degree. I must say however that the course does not prepare you very well for the real world of buying. Its important to have an eye for colour, understand print techniques, how to negotiate, understand the critical path, understanding of yarns and fabrics and their properties. Most of this I have learnt whilst working (however it would have been good to learn this at uni).

My day to day role:

·         It is really important for the buyers admin to manage the critical path and hold critical path meetings. This means asking the suppliers to send you weekly critical paths and you need to check the dates so that each stage is looking on time and if something doesn’t look right or something is running late then you need to bring it up with the supplier and let the team know.

·         To review submissions i.e. strike offs of prints, trims, lab dips, bulk fabrics and send comments of approvals/rejections to suppliers.

·         Raising contracts

·         Sample management

·         Imputing information to the range plan

·         Conducting regular comp shops, either checking online or store visiting. Checking if competitors are doing anything different or new, check prices and how they compare to your own prices

·         Prepare for meetings such as range plan meeting, selection meetings, trade meetings on a Monday morning, press meetings.

·         Supporting the Buyer and Buyers Assistant on a day to day basis

·         Answering queries from suppliers, visual merchandising, merchandising and other colleagues from other departments

The route to become a buyer starts with a Buyers Administrator Assistant (BAA), some companies have different levels of BAAs such as Senior BAA, then Assistant Buyer, Junior Buyer and then a Buyer. If you are really driven then you could be a Buying Mangager/Director.

My advice on key skills:

·         You need to be really driven

·         Understand your customer

·         Be organised

·         Know what your competitors are doing

·         Be hardworking

·         You need to have commercial awareness

Good luck! Hope you find the buying role you love.

Love LilyLish x

Retail Brand Licensing Mentoring Programme - Begins With A Seminar..

Hi Lilys,

So after about a month of working at Sainsburys Coventry Support Centre I was put onto a ‘Retail Brand Licensing Mentoring Programme’ by Advanstar. Some of you might be wondering what an earth that is! Basically, it is a programme designed for retailer’s employees, mainly buyers who are new to the company or new to licensing and might benefit from the participating in the programme through seminars, networking events, visiting licensors and shadowing to learn more about it.

Four of us in total were nominated to participate in the programme by ou Buyer, all from Childrenswear because our department deals the most with Licensing. When I first found out about the programme I wasn’t sure what to expect but I am so pleased I have been put onto the mentoring programme as I will learn so much and I will feel more prepared when liaising with licensees and licensing agents.  I have been invited to meetings with companies such as Hasbro and I didn’t really know what to expect or what is expected of me, the type of questions I should ask and even the most basic things such as terminology.  But it will also be useful as my manager (the Buyer on Toddler Boys) has already suggested that once I am more comfortable and familiar with my Buyers Admin Assistant role then I can start to buy ‘Character’, e.g. Gruffalo, Thomas The Tank Engine, George Pig and Monsters Inc, etc.

Yesterday, on a sunny London day at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Buckingham Gate, I attended the first event of the programme, LIMA Licensing Essentials Course. This was a seminar where people who have a lot of experience within the licensing industry gave a presentation to share their knowledge.  Speakers includes licensors (ITV), Licensee (Fashion UK), Legal and Finance, a speaker from The Science Museum (who surprisingly do deal with a lot of licensing for events within the museum). The end of the seminar included a questions and answers section and a cheeky glass of Prosecco :)

I must say it was a brilliant day and I definitely learnt a lot (even did a little bit of sightseeing in out lunch break. 

Now I am just looking forward to the next part of the programme where we get to shadow and spend the day at our chosen licensor e.g. ITV, Warner Brothers or even Disney. I'll keep you posted - can't wait!!

  

Love LilyLish x

Good News!!! :D

Hey Lilys,

Hope you are happy and well. I have had the busiest few weeks which is why it has taken me so long to write a new post.  First of all, I must tell you the good news about the Manchester Fashion Week intern situation.  I received some good news and I had email to say I have been chosen to intern for the week. 

Secondly, after applying for a million jobs and an inbox full of reject emails.  I found an email from Sainsbury’s offering me an interview for the Buyers Admin Assistant role on Childrenswear I had applied for in the Coventry Support Centre.  I was so happy and I could not believe my luck!

I made sure I was well prepared for my interview and did lots of research including going to store to look at the product.  I was so nervous for the interview but I felt well prepared.  When I came out of the interview I was so pleased with how it went and thought to myself, well if they do choose someone else then at least I know I did my best and gave a really good interview.

The next day I found out the best news ever and I had been offered the job.  It felt absolutely amazing!!  Wow wow wow :)

 

I prepared myself for the big move down to Coventry which worked out great because I have family in the area and they kindly offered to let me stay.

It was my first day on Monday and it went great.  There is a lot for me to learn as my background is with Costume Jewellery and also it has been such a long time since my last role in buying.  But I have been there one week now and everyday I feel as though I am learning something new and I feel as though I will have a lot of responsibility once I am settled in a bit more.

There is a really good energy in the work place. Already there has been super hero conga and lots of fundraising events taking place.

Red Nose Day fundraising conga :)

Now that I have a full time job this means that unfortunately I won’t be able to participate for Manchester Fashion Week, however I emailed them to see if they were going to do anything at the weekend if there were any events I could help with.  They emailed me back to say that there is going to be a wedding show that I could work which I was just the news I wanted to hear.

Things are actually going well for me and I feel like I am on the right path now.  There were times when I felt a bit negative but it is so important to not give up and stay positive.

Love LilyLish x

 

Manchester Fashion Week Need Interns!

Happy Friday Lilys,

So tomorrow is a big day, Manchester Fashion Week (MCRFW) is only round the corner and interns are needed to help out. The roles vary from Reception Staff and Front of House to Dressers and Runners.  I think I would prefer to be Front of House or perhaps on Reception as this was my most recent role with Mercedes F1 Team so I know how it works and I think I could do a good job as I have the experience.

If you are interested here is the link: http://www.mcrfashionweek.com/manchester-fashion-week-intern-opening-day.html 

If you can't make it this time I am sure there will be the same opportunity for the next Fashion Week.

 I just need to remember to take my CV, a photo of moi and obviously myself (extremely well dressed) and we are good-to-go! 

I am so excited! It is an amazing opportunity! There will be so many different brands showcasing their new collections at MCRFW. Also it will be a great chance to network.

 Now I just need to decide what to wear. As it is an interview, smart and fashionable is the way forward.  I think my Chanel-like blazer from Mango will do just the trick.

Blazer - Mango

Now I need to figure out what else to wear with it... Wish me luck!!!

Love LilyLish x