Lara Kohen
Sarıyer,34
Summary
Dedicated and results-driven professional with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Nottingham and over four years of experience in the fashion industry. Currently working as a buyer and specializing on fashion. Proven ability to identify market trends, negotiate contracts, and build strong vendor relationships. Adept at collaborating across departments to ensure cohesive merchandising strategies that meet and exceed company objectives. Seeking to leverage expertise in fashion buying and passion for industry innovation in a challenging role.
Overview
4
4
years of professional experience
Work History
Buyer
VAKKO
01.2024 - Current
- Executed strategic buying by selecting and quantifying optimal items from each season's collections across various brands
- Established strong vendor relationships to negotiate favorable terms and ensure timely deliveries.
- Managed purchasing budgets effectively to achieve financial objectives while maximizing product assortment.
- Conducted trend analysis to identify seasonal trends and make purchasing decisions accordingly.
- Analyzed sales performance to determine reorder quantities effectively.
- Utilized sales data and analytics to make informed decisions on inventory management and product lifecycle.
- Implemented strategies to enhance sales performance and meet customer demands effectively.
- Planned and executed product assortments by analyzing market trends and consumer preferences.
Assistant Buyer
VAKKO
12.2022 - 01.2024
- Identified emerging fashion trends through constant monitoring of industry developments and competitor analysis.
- Collaborated with merchandising and marketing teams to optimize product presentation and promotional strategies.
- Selected garments suitable for campaign shoots and integrated them accordingly.
- Discovered new brands and incorporated them into the assortment.
- Maintained communication with the marketing team to drive sales initiatives.
Account Specialist
Privee PR
10.2022 - 11.2022
- Worked as PR Assistant at Privee PR which is an international public relations and brand strategy agency for luxury, fashion, beauty, hospitality, lifestyle, art , culture and design.
- Created and maintained list of media contacts
- Responded to media inquiries and supported event organization
- Performed minor translating task, including translating press releases into English and assisting live translations into English.
- Prepared coverage reports for each events’ media attraction via social media
Marketing and Operations Assistant
Bassigue
10.2020 - 07.2022
- A promising Turkish fashion textile brand selling through the internet and luxury chain stores in Turkey with an international expansion strategy and sustainability vision incorporated in every stage of their operations
- Responsible for the research of potential expansion plans into the Japanese, UK and the US markets, preparing strategic plans and finding new online and in-store clients
- Organized collaborations with relevant brands, clothing companies and interested parties
- Studied the international influencer market, contacted agencies, prepared and sent PR mails/packages to those that fit the Bassigue profile and followed up the outcome
- Part of a website maintenance team of 3; responsible for managing the product pricing, placement, categorization and presentation, inventory follow-up and update, uploading pictures and translation to English for the brand’s website and sending out PR emails to the subscribers
- Managed the Bassigue brand products’ infrastructure and representation on other nationwide in-store and online sales platforms such as Beymen, Trendyol, Hipicon and Lidyana
- Experienced casting, new season styling and photoshoot operations and helped with backstage processes and solving hitches on the spot
- Prepared product selection and display strategy for the Garage Sale in Turkey, managed customer relations in person and was responsible for keeping up inventories throughout the sale
Marketing Intern
INDITEX (Fashion Communications & PR)
06.2017
- Worked as marketing intern for Inditex (Holding Company for the brands Zara, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear and Uterqüe)
- Focused on researching strategic, brand related clippings and articles about umbrella brands’ positioning in press releases and magazines; organized PR related events; responded to customer complaints by filing them according to significance and found creative solutions; searched for legal advice from company attorneys and inspected related brand stores for customer satisfaction and compliance to general marketing strategies
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration And Management
University of Nottingham
Nottingham, United Kingdom07.2022
Ulus Private Jewish School
06.2019
Skills
- Turkish - Native
- English - Native
- Spanish - Beginner
- Hebrew - Beginner
- Google Drive Apps (Docs, Slides, etc)
- Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Power point, Excel)
- SAP
Citizenship
- Turkish
- Spanish
Summerschools
- UAL: London College of Fashion, Introduction to the Fashion Industry (16-18 Year Olds), 07/2018, Took a business course on the retail industry emphasizing marketing and PR perspectives,
- BOUN 101 Bosphorus University, 07/2017, Attended a two-week pre-university summer school program at Bosphorus University exploring business and marketing, introductory psychology, cinematic impacts on perception, and basic chemistry methods including food intake analysis.
Extracurricular Activities
MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses), Introduction to food and health, Stanford University, Management of Fashion and Luxury Companies, Universita Bocconi
Timeline
Buyer
VAKKO
01.2024 - Current
Assistant Buyer
VAKKO
12.2022 - 01.2024
Account Specialist
Privee PR
10.2022 - 11.2022
Marketing and Operations Assistant
Bassigue
10.2020 - 07.2022
Marketing Intern
INDITEX (Fashion Communications & PR)
06.2017
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration And Management
University of Nottingham
Ulus Private Jewish School