What is the difference between fashion merchandiser and fashion designer?

Answer 1

A fashion merchandiser deals with the producing, product development and promoting, buying and selling of fashion products: clothing, accessories, make-up, shoes etc.

A fashion merchandiser may work for a retail store, a textile manufacturer or directly for a designer.

Fashion merchandisers may also be referred to as fashion buyers, directors, retail store managers, textile merchandisers, designers, showroom sales room representatives, etc.

Answer 2

I work in fashion merchandising over at zooshoo.com and to be honest I love it. The fun part is staying on top of trends and trying to anticipate what customers are going to want and, oh yeah, and the clothes! The bad parts are keeping track of all that inventory and when you are wrong and stuck with a bunch of ugly shoes!

Answer 3

A fashion designer is the person who designs the clothing. They choose the cut, fabric, color.... A fashion merchandiser is the person who works in a retail setting and sets up the display. It is there job to make the clothes look as good as possible. They decide that this shirt looks best with this skirt. In a large corporate store a fashion merchandiser will design the display and send the design to the individual stores. The department manager will then be responsible for replicating the design. In smaller stores the fashion merchandiser will be probably the manager or owner of the store.