In this episode, we're joined by Lynsey Scoins — a fashion industry veteran with over 15 years of experience across design, buying, merchandising and recruitment, and founder of Fashion Path, a platform dedicated to helping people break into and build careers in the fashion industry.

Lynsey shares her winding career journey from almost landing a placement at Company Magazine to discovering buying and merchandising almost by accident at George ASDA, and eventually realising her original degree in International Fashion Marketing had been pointing her in the right direction all along. We also get into the reality of retail vs supplier roles, and how working through COVID brought both sides closer together by revealing just how similar the pressures are. Across every role, the same core skills stand out — confidence, team fit, passion for product and attention to detail.

She also doesn’t hold back on CV and interview mistakes, from careless applications to a lack of real brand understanding, and shares why tailoring your approach is more important than ever in a world where AI is now screening candidates. We also touch on the value of sourcing trips and how they can transform your understanding of the supply chain, before Lynsey explains why she launched Fashion Path — supporting candidates through coaching, CV and portfolio reviews, and structured programmes designed to help them present themselves with clarity and confidence.

Whether you're just starting out, feeling stuck mid-career, or navigating redundancy, this episode is packed with honest, practical advice from someone who has genuinely been on every side of the industry.

Connect with Lynsey:

• LinkedIn: Lynsey Scoins
• Instagram @Fashionpathconsultancy - follow for weekly tips, real case studies, and programme updates
• www.fashionpath.co.uk

Three Key Takeaways

1. Your career path doesn't have to be linear - and that's a strength.

Lynsey's journey from design to buying, merchandising, and recruitment is proof that moving between roles isn't a sign of indecision, it's a competitive advantage. The creativity you develop as a designer makes you a better buyer. The analytical thinking from merchandising makes you a more commercial thinker. Embracing a non-linear path gives you a rounded perspective that specialists often lack.

2. Tailor everything - your CV, your portfolio, your application.

One of the most consistent mistakes Lynsey saw as a recruiter was people applying for multiple roles with the exact same materials, or worse, cover letters addressed to the wrong company. Recruiters notice. Hiring managers notice. The same way a supplier pitching you a generic deck feels disrespectful of your time, a generic application signals low investment. Take the time to research the brand, visit the store, and tailor your pitch - it dramatically increases your hit rate.

3. You already have the skills - you just need to package them.

In fast-paced buying and merc

Join us for our next Retail Buyer Meet up in London on Wednesday 28th April! Go to www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk or DM us @jointhebuyersclub

Support the show

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you! It honestly really helps to keep this going and growing!

Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram

Send us a DM or email hello@buyingandbeyond.co.uk

We also have a retail buyers membership @jointhebuyersclub

Find out more at www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk

If you'd like to show a little more love, then head here to give us just a little bit *extra* and show us your support :) thank you!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2300060/support

This week, we’re joined by Holly Stafford Smith from GH Stafford & Son limited a fourth-generation family business that’s been supplying leather goods and accessories to retailers across the UK and Ireland since 1947.

Holly gives us a rare look at the supplier side of the buyer-supplier relationship and honestly, the overlap is bigger than you might think.

Having joined the business back in 2007, Holly has shaped her role from the ground up and now leads across buying, supplier relationships and commercial strategy. From sourcing product at the Canton Fair to managing a diverse UK customer base, her experience mirrors so much of what buyers do day-to-day, just from a different angle.

We get into the realities of buying for independents (where no two customers are the same), the power of long-standing supplier relationships, and what it really looks like to evolve a family business that’s been running successfully for decades.

We also talk trade shows and why Holly made the call to step away from Spring Fair after nearly 50 years, replacing it with a showroom event that delivered 35% more turnover at a fraction of the cost.

Plus, what’s next: building out CRM and analytics, launching a B2B platform, growing their agent network, and bringing fresh ideas into a legacy business as they approach their 80th year.

Key Takeaways

• The buyer vs supplier divide isn’t as big as you think - the roles, challenges and decisions are more aligned than they are different.
• Long-term supplier relationships are everything - trust, consistency and better product come from playing the long game.
• Even the most established businesses need to evolve - and sometimes that means making bold calls to do things differently

Join us for our next Retail Buyer Meet up in London on Wednesday 28th April! Go to www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk or DM us @jointhebuyersclub

Support the show

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you! It honestly really helps to keep this going and growing!

Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram

Send us a DM or email hello@buyingandbeyond.co.uk

We also have a retail buyers membership @jointhebuyersclub

Find out more at www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk

If you'd like to show a little more love, then head here to give us just a little bit *extra* and show us your support :) thank you!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2300060/support

This week's episode is a special one co-host Lynsey is joined by her old friend and former London College of Fashion classmate, Jodie Blake, now CMO at Manolo Blahnik. What starts as a nostalgic trip down memory lane (lemon poppy seed muffins from Starbucks, high heels to lectures, and getting the tube one stop instead of walking) quickly turns into one of the most insightful conversations we've had on the show.

Jodie's career is a masterclass in building from the ground up. She started out as a press assistant at Office Shoes during its golden era of big collabs with Nike, Converse and Dr. Martens, before moving through a series of agencies - culminating in a decade at The Communication Store, where she worked across Versace, Max Mara, Acne Studios and more, doing 42 shows in a single fashion season. From there she went in-house at Self-Portrait to build on their communications function, before being headhunted to join Manolo Blahnik as Head of Communications - a role that evolved into her appointment as CMO almost two and a half years ago.

We get into what it really means to market a luxury product today, how Manolo Blahnik has spent 22 years fighting to reclaim their trademark in China (spoiler: they won - one of only two cases ever, alongside Michael Jordan), the story behind the Birkenstock collab that sold out in 12 hours, the upcoming Balenciaga collaboration, and why being headline sponsor of the V&A's Marie Antoinette exhibition felt like the brand's most natural home.

Jodie also shares what it was like to move from agency to in-house, the realities of stepping into a leadership role, and why working closely with buyers and the commercial team is central to everything her team does.

3 Key Takeaways:

1. Stay true to your brand values - even when it's hard. Manolo Blahnik famously refused to make trainers despite enormous commercial pressure and buyer demand. Jodie explains how staying uncompromisingly true to your identity is what builds longevity - 56 years, fully privately owned, with Manolo still designing every single shoe. Chasing trends can dilute a brand to the point where customers no longer know what you stand for.
2. Break down silos and ask questions beyond your remit. Whether you're in PR, buying, merchandising or logistics, understanding how other parts of the business work gives you a fuller picture - and makes you better at your own job. Jodie credits this curiosity as a key driver of her own career progression, from agency PR specialist to CMO. The "holy trinity" of communications, commercial and merchandising teams working in lockstep is something she views as non-negotiable.
3. Make people feel something. In a time of economic uncertainty, consumers are more considered than ever about what they buy. The brands that win are those creating genuine emotional connections - through storytelling, community, experiential moments, and products that carry real personal meaning. From a grandmother leaving envelopes of mon

Join us for our next Retail Buyer Meet up in London on Wednesday 28th April! Go to www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk or DM us @jointhebuyersclub

Support the show

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you! It honestly really helps to keep this going and growing!

Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram

Send us a DM or email hello@buyingandbeyond.co.uk

We also have a retail buyers membership @jointhebuyersclub

Find out more at www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk

If you'd like to show a little more love, then head here to give us just a little bit *extra* and show us your support :) thank you!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2300060/support