Being a Professional Saleswoman in Designer Fashion

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In the pandemic, I was temporarily laid off from my job with Ted Baker, and while I am not sure of my official fate with the company, I have decided to do my best to get back into high fashion.

While there were a couple of MONTHS in the pandemic when I threw my hands up and believed that retail would never rebound from this crisis, where I considered upgrading my education and tried to think of digital careers, as we now enter the 9th week, officially now in the third month, I had a shift in thought and feeling. I really believe fully now that luxury fashion selling is where I want to be. And seeing that women are already buying now that the stores in some states are reopening, I am so optimistic. But really, I always felt secure in high-end fashion selling, even in brick-and-mortar, because when women are spending hundreds to thousands of dollars, they want to be in a store to see, touch, try on, and finally, get professional assistance. 

And while I also reached an entirely new level of humility during quarantine, I can see now, as we begin to slowly but surely re-open, that I really love fashion. Selling clothing of the caliber that Saks Fifth Avenue provides is the optimal avenue for me, pun intended. Learning about fashion and how to sell it in a commission sales environment, and developing the confidence to clientele, was no easy feat. There were many tears shed, and many moments of self-doubt. But I put one foot in front of the other, I researched selling techniques, and in time, I found myself succeeding shift after shift.

I want to be around real fashion, and to learn its art and intricacies. I want to be in this industry, and I want to feel the pride I once did in being a professional saleswoman, with outstanding clients. I had a tug-of-war in my heart for years working for HBC, first for Hudson's Bay, and then for Saks, but after much growing pains, I have developed into being exactly what my employer, clients, and self-esteem need me to be. And it is unequivocally working with designer clothing. 

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