personal statement example
Retail offers the exciting prospect of a fast-paced, ever-changing working environment that requires you to be constantly developing and refining your strategies as markets change. Nowhere is this more apparent than in fashion retailing, as shifting styles and trends offer new challenges, and new opportunities, on an almost daily basis. Having discovered that I am well-suited to these pressures, demonstrating an aptitude for communication, teamwork, planning and improvisation throughout my studies, my work placements and my extra-curricular activities, I have become more and more convinced that a career within fashion retail management, preferably as a buyer, will allow me to make the most positive impact through my work.
personal statement example
Aware of the fundamental need to understand business, as well as displaying a ‘passion for fashion’, within my chosen career, I have worked hard to gain an understanding of macro- and micro-economic processes. Through undertaking a Business Studies A-level, and through studying the national and global impact of economics in Government and Politics, I have a refined sense of the dramatic importance of business. Studying History has also offered an historical perspective on this, as well as improving my research and written and verbal communication skills.
Keen to gain practical experience of the industry, I have undertaken week-long placements at the Head Offices of both Marks and Spencer and Dewhirst. The first of these placements was especially enlightening, as I shadowed staff across all aspects of the business; including Design, Merchandising, Buying and Technical. This gave me a great insight into the interconnected nature of the business and the way in which everything, from research on materials, to sourcing stock, to working out how to display stock to make it attractive to customers, requires a fine balance based around a singular vision for it to be profitable. The second placement offered an alternative perspective on the process of garment supply prior to the retail stage. Working on garment costing and negotiating with fabric suppliers once again demonstrated the careful strategies that are necessary to ensure profitability.
Inspired by these experiences, I have made sure to keep up with changes in the field of fashion retail as much as possible. I regularly read Retail Week and Draper’s Record and attended a ‘Future Lab’ at the Roundhouse, which gave me a good sense of various aspects of the fashion retail industry through talking to those on the inside.
In my spare time, I am a dedicated sportsperson. I have skied from the age of four and took my basic ski instructor exam at a Swiss school last year. Having used this qualification to teach for a week last February, I am keen to go back and teach again this year. Teaching skiing appeals to me as both a sportsperson and a keen traveller; allowing me to integrate with another culture and language as I work. I have also achieved a Level 1 Sports Leader qualification, which has built on the responsible leadership shown through ski instruction and regular volunteering at a local primary school. I am a keen rugby player and play for my school’s first team and Harrow Rugby Club. I also like to indulge my creative side through theatre and spent a week attached to the National Theatre in a fundraising capacity, which included the creation of a proposal to gain sponsorship for the Entry Pass Scheme aimed at 16-24 year olds.
Having focused my studies and work experience on gaining as much knowledge of the retail fashion industry and possible, I have become more and more convinced that I have the right combination of ambition, aptitude and determination to succeed in the sector in future. Enhancing this knowledge and experience through undergraduate study is the next essential step to making this ultimate goal a reality.
personal statement example
