London is widely known as a Fashion Mecca and produces world leading brands along with world class candidates.  So how do we compare as a fashion industry on the other side of the globe?

As a new face at Rag Trade Recruitment I am thrilled about learning and advancing in the New Zealand fashion market.  My experience in Fashion Recruitment so far has been in the fast paced and competitive London environment.
London is a fashion city where graduates number in thousands, designers are keen and talented, suppliers and wholesalers have bulk clients and most significantly the retail turnover is massive.

It’s well known that London is a major global destination; it has significant value in the networks, opportunities and energy it provides.  A recent survey of top executives overwhelmingly agreed their careers had benefited from working in London. They said that working in the capital had increased their understanding of global business.
The UK industry is vast and fast-paced and because of this produces knowledgeable and accomplished fashion professionals. Most importantly the work culture and skill base is easily transferable to the NZ market.

A true international professional will seek to add value to their careers, not just by which organisation they work for, but where they work.

Rag Trade Recruitment is taking action in sourcing some of the high calibre candidates that the UK has to offer.  Advertising in British publications has had a large and positive response thus far. We aim to capitalise on this by interviewing potential candidates and assisting them in the immigration process.
The huge growth we have been experiencing in overseas applications shows that employees are not fearful of changing countries or even continents to take the next step in their careers.  A true international professional will seek to add value to their careers, not just by which organisation they work for, but where they work.

Perhaps we at Rag Trade Recruitment are going some way towards reversing the brain drain.  If the appeal of the OE and the sizeable UK industry and sizeable UK salary is drawing away all our best, why can we not lure over some of theirs with the appeal of our uniquely creative industry and our privileged lifestyle in the South Pacific.
During my time recruiting in London I was continually surprised to see the number of CV’s I was receiving from talented Kiwis, some of whom had built strong international careers and reputations.  It’s clear we in NZ have a breed of candidate that is holding up against the best.  We are hardworking, creative and confident.

Job descriptions in the UK tend to be a lot more specific and there is a ‘man’ for every job.  On the flip side job roles in New Zealand are broad and sometimes combine a number of positions.  Staff members here consequently are a lot more hands on and flexible in the daily tasks they perform.  The NZ way of thinking quite rightly is ‘why have three staff when one hard working staff member will do?’  Because of our attitude towards this we gain knowledge beyond just the job role and see the company system as a whole.

By combining candidates from here and overseas it will bring about global ideas that will benefit New Zealand’s already thriving fashion industry.