Blogs: Cat talks daily routine and catwalk trends

Cat graduated from her fashion design degree at the University of Leeds and has now secured her first job in the industry, working as a buyers admin assistant (BAA)

I have now been at my job for a little over a month and I'm finally settled in. When I started I tried to be the first to arrive and last to leave at work to make a good impression. After realising that this was more likely to lead to being given extra work to do rather than a pay rise, I now make sure that I take a decent lunch break and try not to leave more than half an hour late.

My daily routine involves putting orders through, chasing samples and approving samples. We are currently working on the spring/summer 2013 collection.

Working at the lower end of the high street has its pros and cons. The main benefit is the laid-back and friendly working atmosphere. Although the job can be stressful, we do make time for a chat and a giggle in between. The dress code is relaxed and people are not judged for what they wear.

I have already had a performance review, in which my boss advised me to go on some training days, including assertiveness in the workplace and minute taking, so that I can be promoted within a year or so. I get the sense that the company really cares about its staff and wants to see them progress.

However, working at this level means that costs need to be kept to a minimum. The designers' creativity is limited to creating garments that are cheap to make. This means using fewer colours and more imitation fabrics such as acrylic rather than wool.

Suppliers that offer the lowest cost prices are often untrustworthy and unreliable. Poor manufacturing standards have led to faulty garments being returned to store for not fitting properly, dyes running in the wash and pockets not matching on either side. Mistakes like these can ruin the brand name, so it is important that these issues are spotted before the garments reach the store. Fortunately, we are currently expanding internationally so will soon be able to use better suppliers that provide reasonable cost prices for larger orders.

What has surprised me so far is how long catwalk trends take to filter down into our collections. For example, the military trend was seen in February at London Fashion Week from Burberry Prorsum which, after being inspired by the austerity of the war years, designed brass-buttoned jackets with peplums. Pop stars and street stylers quickly adapted the trend with camouflage jackets with spikes and stud components. The trend is now available to buy on the high street in time for autumn/winter 2012. As our target market is for nine to 14-year-old girls, who are more confident in following well established trends, we could include military styles in the Autumn Winter 2013 collection.

In a couple of years' time, I may decide to work for a more trend-focused, premium fashion brand. But for now, I am happy to be starting my buying career in a friendly environment surrounded by a team who want me to do well.