Tywhuan
Green

We are delighted to chat to Tywhuan about how her studies have contributed to her career successes at River Island, Boden and Abercrombie & Fitch.

Why did you choose to study Fashion Management at NTU?

At the time, I wasn’t sure about what part the fashion industry I wanted to go into, so I did not want to pick a course that was too specific. NTU’s Fashion Management course covered a wide range of fields within fashion, so I could learn about the industry from different perspectives. I was also attracted by the opportunities to study abroad and take a placement year.

What were the key things you learnt at NTU – both inside and outside of lectures?

The Fashion Management course enabled me to work out what sort of career path I wanted to take. I learnt about each area of the fashion industry, whilst working on practical, career-focused projects, and this led to my decision to pursue a career as a merchandiser.

Being from London, moving so far away from home was a huge step for me. My time at NTU taught me independence and discipline, giving me my first real experience as an adult. I had to learn how to manage my time between lectures, socials, and going to the gym, as well as learning to budget and live on my own.

Tell us more about how the course prepared you for the world of work.

The buying and merchandising module in the second year really helped me develop the skills I needed to excel in a head office merchandising role; for example, I learnt about the maths behind fashion retail, the weekly sales stock and intake planning process, how to use Excel effectively and I also did real-world buying and merchandising projects. All this meant that, when I started my placement year as an allocator at River Island, I could hit the ground running. In fact, I still use the skills I learnt at NTU every day my current role as a junior merchandiser.

Doing a placement year at River Island was also very beneficial to my career. This was my first real full-time work experience and I gained huge insights into the fundamentals of fashion merchandising - I loved the placement and I learnt so much. I also enjoyed the 50% staff discount, the sample sales and the office parties! I went back to River Island when I graduated and was promoted to senior merchandising admin assistant within three months.

You are now a junior merchandiser at Boden, what do you enjoy about this field of work?

I have always wanted to work in fashion, but my love for number and logic attracted me to merchandising over more creative areas. Being able to make trade decisions based on my own analysis and findings, as well as knowledge of fashion trends, is really motivating to me.

What does your typical day at work involve?

As a junior merchandiser, I plan and trade quarterly product ranges, and review and react to trade on a weekly basis. This involves weekly trade meetings where I present trade figures and best and worst styles to management, forecasting sales, and repeating best sellers in-season. My typical day involves a lot of analysis on styles, sizing and shapes to create the best future ranges, and increase profitability on the current product range.

What have been the highlights and biggest challenges of your career so far?

The highlight has been the office culture. I have met some very supportive people during my career so far and have been given great opportunities to progress and get promoted. The challenges are that, due to the fast-paced environment that is fashion, it can be  stressful at times and the hours can be long - but there is  always a great sense of accomplishment.

What are your plans for the future?

I have loved my time at Boden but, very excitingly, I am on the move - I will soon be starting a new role as an associate planner at Abercrombie & Fitch!

I plan to continue to develop my career in merchandising, learning as much as I can along the way. I hope to get into teaching or guest lecturing in the future.

If you had a time machine, what would you go back and tell yourself at uni?

To join more societies and meet more people! Learn different skills and have interests other than my course.