Monday 7 March 2011

Working in the industry / Future Plans



A few days after doing my first shift on saturday i got a call on the following wednesday from Warehouse in warrington another shop that i had applied for. They were looking for someone to do an eight hour contract in the week which would be perfect as i would be able to keep my saturday job and then work the wednesday and thursday that i was not at college. By doing this i would gain even more knowledge in a well known clothes shop to see how they might run their business differently to SOS.
The manager said she wanted to do a telephone interview with me on the Friday and if it went well then she would be in touch. On the Friday she rang me up and asked me about ten questions that went well and she asked me to come in the next day at 5 after i had finished work at SOS.
On the saturday i went in and she asked me about 15-20 more questions, some of these were, who is your favourite designer and a collection that they did? I said i really like the dolce and Gabanna paint splattered fashion show which were over the top brightly coloured ball gowns with paint and brush marks all over them, Gwen Stefani actually wore one in her music videos.

One of my projects at Sir John Deane's college was based around this designer and this fashion show so i was able to talk confidently about why it inspired me.
Another question was what are the current trends and styles in the shops at the moment?
I new this as we had just that week had a delivery at SOS so i said lots of bright bold mixes of colours were in such as orange, purple and turquoise blouses and dresses with mixes of these colours. Also a lot of chiffon is in and camel pants, dresses and horse riding style pants. The manager of warehouse seemed to be impressed that i new what i was talking about.
Another question i was asked is who are warehouse's competitors? i said shops such as river island and Topshop as they are just opposite the shop in warrington and also Oasis as that is next door and it is the same price range targeting the same sort of customer. 
After she had finished asking me questions she said we were going to do a little exercise, the brief was...
A lady has come into the shop and she has £100 to spend and she is going out for drinks tonight, she wants and outfit to wear that she can also wear again and you have to persuade her to by the clothes in the shop.
So i started to have a look around the shop to see what i could find, i picked this dress as i loved the colour and style it was £65 so i said the customer could wear this as a dress with a huge pair of heels to really dress it up or a nice pair of skinny jeans and wedges for casual drinks in a bar. Or they could wear it with tights and dolly shoes to go shopping with a big bulky coat or jacket over the top. Therefore i was making my point that the dress could be used again for a number of purposes.
Cowl Asymmetric Dress
I also chose ....
Leather Hook Belt
This belt which was £20 to add a bit of detail to the dress and bring it in at the waist so it looks more flattering. Next i picked this clutch bag
Classic Clutch
As i thought the colours would go really well together and this would really dress up the dress for going out for drinks this was also £20, i had reached my budget by then but decided to bring a pair of hoop earrings that i really liked....
HOOP BEAD AND CLUSTER EARRING
I thought the gold would really bring out the gold in the belt, dress up the outfit again and the orange to compliment the dress and clutch, these were £10 but i just said to the manager that i would try and persuade the customer to buy more which she seemed to be impressed with and laughed.
On the whole i think the interview went very well and i am waiting to hear back from Warehouse.


Offered the Job 


Warehouse did not ring me back on the Sunday when they said they would so i was a little disapointed and worried they were not going to ring. I waited all day but still no reply so decided to ring them first thing in the morning. I rang up and one of the girls said the manager had not been in all that day so there was still hope!
A few hours later i got a call to say i had been offered the job and was to start the following monday which was good as i was working for Amanda on wednesday, thursday and Saturday this week. So i would have to let her no i could only work Saturdays from now on.

Tuesday 1 March 2011

The Reloved Young Designer of the Year 2010

Me and six of the girls in my class won an award from last summer


"The catwalk show features some of the Uk's most 'ethically aware' designers and retailers. The event will culminate in the live final for the 2010 Young Designer  of the Year, with a catwalk of the final designs all created from charity shop donations."




Some of the garments in the collection my outfits were the white dress on the left hand side and the black shirt and black pants on the far right.

SOS the shop

Here is a link to the website of the company that i work for SOS

http://www.sos-shop.co.uk/#/franchise/4544479530


SOS is a global independent fashion retailer, offering a unique range of clothing and accessories.

Our collections are original, fashionable, and are synonymous with quality, value and unique design. With an attitude that is accessible to all, bold product ranges and hundreds of new lines added each week, SOS has won a legion of loyal fans and is rapidly becoming a market leader in the fashion world.

With everyone wanting a look as soon as it appears, SOS is dedicated to ensuring the hottest looks move from the catwalk to the high street in the blink of an eye.


SOS has recognised the need to grow and develop the brand internationally and we now have
a strong foothold on the international market operating franchises in: UK, Spain and Slovakia.

SOS is planning continued store development in both existing and newmarkets. New franchises will be
opening soon. Why not come and pay us a visit you will not be disappointed...

A List of shops


UK
11 WOODFORD ROAD
BRAMHALL
CHESHIRE
SK7 1JN
Tel: +44 (0) 161 439 0430


LIVERPOOL JOHN LENNON AIRPORT
Tel: +44 (0) 151 907 1175


49 LONDON ROAD
STOCKTON HEATH
WARRINGTON
WA4 6SG
Tel: +44 (0) 1925 213 392


1 HARDING PARADE
STATION ROAD
HARPENDEN
HERTS
AL5 4SW
Tel: +44 (0) 1582 715 808

SPAIN
ALICANTE AIRPORT


LA MANGA CLUB
Tel: 00 34 968 175000 EX 2247


MERCADONA SQUARE
LOS ALCAZARES
MURCIA


SLOVAKIA
NAMESTOVO