Spotlight on our Jersey Buyer
Our Jersey Buyer, Natalie, shares her top picks from our latest ladies’ fashion collection and reveals what it’s like to work as a buyer at Bella di Notte.
What does a typical day look like for you as the jersey buyer at Bella di Notte?
A typical day usually involves working with lots of different people on our team, I might spend an hour with Laura our garment tech fitting new styles to make sure the latest designs we are developing are figure flattering. I might then be on a call with one of our factories to discuss how the orders are progressing and make sure we don’t have any delivery delays. I often spend time analysing the latest sales and assessing if we have chosen the right colours for the latest T-shirt range. I might then get together with the other buyers to ensure all our latest styles are sitting together as a collection to ensure we are offering some great outfitting combinations. Every day is different, but it is always fun, fast paced and full of creativity and problem solving!!.
Can you describe the process you go through when selecting new jersey pieces for each season?
It always starts with what has sold the best – what pieces does our customer love? We then look at trends and what else is out there in the market, what prints, colour, fabrics have we seen which we think will add a new twist or new dimension to the collection. What offers her great value, style and comfort? What we think our customer will love is always at the forefront of our mind.
What factors do you consider most when choosing the best fabrics and materials for our jersey pieces?
Will it wash well, will it wear well, will it create a figure flattering look? When it comes to fabric on jersey there is so much choice, and it is almost always stretchy so offers the best comfort, fit and value for money too. Our rigorous testing procedures mean that it sometimes takes time to bring a new fabric to the market however once we get it right, we will use the same quality time and time again, constantly reinventing it into new styles, colours or prints.
What are some key trends in jersey that you’ve noticed recently, and how do they influence your buying decisions?
We have seen a shift towards texture on jersey being key, less about colour and print (although that will always play a huge part of the Bella di Notte range whatever the trend), its more about simple shapes that let the fabrics speak for themselves – our latest bestseller; the Mylie top for example is crafted from a gorgeous 100% cotton jacquard jersey so there is a delicate stripe texture within the fabric, finished with a scallop trim it is a great new wardrobe staple! This is how we nod to a trend – we don’t always shift too far away from what we know our customer loves but we always try and use the trends to freshen up the range and introduce newness.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Delighting our customers! Seeing the sales of a new product fly – there is nothing better than putting months and months of development work with our suppliers to create a new fabric from finding the right coloured yarn, to knitting it into the right weight and texture, then finding the perfect shape and fit, styling it with the right items to create a look and photographing it in the perfect setting. By the time it hits the catalogues probably 6 months or so later, there is no better feeling than seeing that it is something our customer loves and it is selling really well! All the hard work becomes worth it.
What first sparked your interest in fashion buying?
Looking back I have always loved fashion, I think it runs in our blood, my Nana owned a dress shop in the late 50’s and my Mum kept suitcases of all her old clothes from the 60’s and 70’s in our loft, she never threw out what she loved, me and my sister would spend hours dressing up in them and playing catwalks. When I was at school my older cousin had started a new job and she came home one weekend, I asked her what she did and she said – Natalie I basically go shopping for a living! My ears pricked up and from that moment I knew that was something I wanted to do too! Being a Buyer is kind of like shopping but on a much larger scale and no returns policy!
Which pieces from our current collection are you favourites and why?
It’s gorgeous – in one of our exclusive Bella di Notte prints it is a sophisticated piece that looks as great dressed up as it does down.
Perfect wardrobe staple for the SS25 season, made from the finest cotton with a feminine scallop trim it can update any old favourite looks.
One of our bestselling shapes updated with a new on trend embroidery design, our customer loves the open neckline and roll up sleeve detail and 100% jersey fabric.
A Bella di Notte icon – 100% pure cotton fabric, boat neckline and figure flattering exclusive prints. I love this print because of the use of colour – it makes me feel like Summer is on its way!
Shop our jersey collection today, perfect for Spring layering with a light denim jacket or a cotton vest..