Life in industry: Charlie's experience at Dior Parfums and Cosmetics
- Written byLondon College of Fashion
- Published date 19 March 2024
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The fashion industry is an economic powerhouse, contributing significantly to the global economy. In order to reap the rewards, fashion brands depend on multi-skilled workforces, with experts not only in design, but in retail management, marketing and not forgetting, visual merchandising and branding.
There’s no doubt that in today’s increasingly competitive marketplace, a brand's ability to grow its visibility and improve a customer’s shopping experience can make all the difference when it comes to sales. The marketplace relies on confident visual merchandisers and branding experts, and that’s where we step in!
Our BA (Hons) Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding degree reflects the current demands in the industry through a contemporary curriculum, equipping students with skills in visual merchandising, digital visual merchandising, spatial design, and branding practices.
With challenging industry-focused projects and work experience learning opportunities, the course combines theory and practice and allows you to personalise your learning with a variety of topics and assessment types.
We caught up with current student, Charlie, who reflects on his experience working as a Visual Merchandising Coordinator at Dior Parfums and Cosmetics (Bond Street, London).
Hi Charlie, thanks for chatting with us today! We’d love to hear more about your experience at such a well-established brand. What did a typical day look like for you at Dior Parfums and Cosmetics?
My days varied, depending on what I was working on. An average day involved catching up with suppliers on projects I was managing, approving artwork, selecting materials for sites, and meetings with the marketing teams to outline what products were to be used to merchandise my sites.
I really enjoyed working on the Flannels Beauty Bar sites which I managed independently. There were 3 Christmas sites each in Liverpool, Meadowhall and Fosse Park. These sites entailed an initial design briefing internal to VM management and the marketing teams, and then externally to various suppliers to receive price costs. I then selected the best supplier who could provide what was been briefed, at the best cost.
What I enjoyed the most about executing this project, was setting up and merchandising the site in Liverpool with the suppliers and seeing my work on a professional level come to life.
What were the main skills you’ve taken away from completing a placement?
Definitely the practice of cross-team working and communicating with external suppliers. I now understand the importance of creative balance in ideas and opinions and managing expectations when it comes to external/internal timelines.
Since returning to LCF, and working on my Final Major Project, I have learned the last-minute details are imperative when completing a successful retail space. This might involve supplier selection, sourcing sustainable materials, and the importance of working closely with the marketing team to create a successful commercial site.
All these practices I have brought into my final year projects are things I would have overlooked if it were not for my education during my interning year.
How do you think completing a placement will support you in life after graduation?
I am confident about leaving university educated and experienced, and it has given me a competitive advantage ahead of applying for graduate jobs/schemes. I have also made valuable connections. In this market, competition is high, so it’s crucial to have industry experience.
How did LCF support you in the process of securing a placement?
The Graduate Futures team was a valuable resource, as they helped me go through my CV and cover letters. My course team was immensely supportive and helped me create the presentations I required for interviews.
I was fairly lucky as Dior called me early in my application processes. I experienced a 3-stage interview process, the first one being with HR and then the final 2 with the VM management team.
This involved creating 2 presentations, the first on my personal VM experience and the second on my creative ideas for Dior. My course lecturers put aside time to run through this with me to ensure it was to the level they’d expect if they were hiring me for a professional position.
Has the course provided you with any other opportunities to connect with the industry?
Yes! I have had the honour of attending the VM Display awards with my course, in which I made valuable connections from networking at the event. This show was held at Leonardo’s Hotel in St Pauls, celebrating innovative design in VM.
I always attend around 1 external visit each month, for example, Chanel at the V&A and Gucci Cosmos at 180 The Strand, all organised by the course. All of these opportunities have ensured us as students, are exposed to as many facets in the industry as possible to help with university projects, personal projects and post-graduation opportunities.
Find out more
- Learn more about BA (Hons) Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding
- View our upcoming Open Days.