Merchandise Trade Show
The Profile Show was held from March 5th to 8th 2017 at the Toronto Congress Center. The Profile Show happens in early March and September each year to let buyers purchase spring/summer and fall/winter merchandise. Booths are assembled throughout the Congress Center and buyers walk between booths, looking through racks and deciding what works best for their store. After getting my nametag and walking through security, the first thing I saw were mannequins with outfits from different vendors. I walked my way past vendors such as Steve Madden and different jewelry booths, towards the end of the first aisle to Picadilly and Code Vitesse. It doesn’t take long for things to get going, luckily the wholesalers I volunteered for, Sue and Doug Palmateer, had everything all set up. They walked me through the line sheets, how the samples were organized and the appointments they had set up.
What I learned
One of the best parts of this volunteer experience was seeing wholesalers and buyers working together. I assisted with selling Picadilly and Code Vistesse, both Canadian companies who have almost 100% of their manufacturing in Canada. I sold to small boutiques which was a great learning experience compared to big department stores. Most buyers were the owners of the stores and work in the store daily.
After explaining that I was a student at Humber, they were open to me asking questions. After seeing a line, I could ask questions as to why they didn’t think it would sell in the store. Buyers, along with Sue and Doug, were very open to the learning experience. They have worked in the fashion industry for over 30 years and their knowledge is endless. I learned how they started their own wholesale sales agency, how they manage to work from home, their opinions on working for smaller companies compared to large department stores. Everyone always dreams of landing a job with companies like Hudson’s Bay or Holt Renfrew, but after this experience, I will be gravitating towards smaller Canadian companies.
This volunteer opportunity taught me that everyone in the program should try and volunteer for a wholesale show. It was very different from what I had pictured, based on past lectures, and I would now consider a career in wholesales.
