中国流行的时尚"买家"

For those in China who are willing and able to afford the top class fashion brands, but too busy to go to the fashion frontline in person, they now have somebody to make their wishes come true. A newly-developed profession in China’s fashion industry sees trend spotters purchasing the latest collections for consumers at boutiques. They’re simply called "buyers".

In China’s retail industry, a buyer refers to an individual who selects various items to be stocked in a store, based on his or her predictions about what will be popular with Chinese consumers.

A retail buyer usually works closely with designers and their designated sales representatives. They attend trade fairs, wholesale showrooms and fashion shows to observe trends very often.

Jiang Mingming, professional buyer, said,"Basically buyers have to go to the formal fashion week and fashion show to find which brands they would like to purchase. All the brands in our store were selected from professional fashion shows and fashion weeks."

Jiang became a buyer about five years ago. His fashion shop is located in Beijing’s 798 art zone, attracting lots of customers with its distinctive features. Since the job has gradually become popular in China, buyer trainers are recruiting more students than before.

Yao Xiaoyun, buyer trainer, said,"First, you need to acquire a knowledge of some basic clothing products, such as fabric, brands and constantly updating fashion trends, as trends change every season. But the most crucial point is that you have to know your customers."

As works from Chinese designers have come to the fore on the international fashion stage, these professional buyers are also hoping to introduce domestic brands to their own boutique stores some day soon.