Urban Outfitters A/W14 Collection

I was so pleased to be invited to the Urban Outfitters press day, it's the first one of theirs I've attended and to have a chance to talk to their buying team. I know a lot of you are fans of UO, but if not than I hope you may have a look as they have some truly cool pieces. If the clothing is not your thing, they have plenty of home ware to inspire and jazzy up your place. As well as seeing the new range -hello rainbow jumper, please get in my wardrobe. Me and Jayne were making mental lists of things that we needed in our lives, including this blue pleather and embroidered dress, lips purse and yes the whole of the Lulu & Co collection.  

With the launch of Urban Outfitters’ “One of a Kind” collection, they gave me the low down on their interview with the girl that brought it all together - Their senior Urban Renewal buyer Sarah Kearney. With so many cool pieces in the new collection, she gave  an insight into her world and what inspired the new vintage finds.

UO: Hey Sarah, we love the new OOAK collection; can you tell us a bit about it?    

SK: Everything in this new collection is unique; we’ve been rummaging through thousands and thousands of vintage pieces from flea markets and huge vintage warehouses around the world to hand-pick the collection and bring it together. A lot has come from California and at the forefront of my mind throughout our trips was to create a collection that really is one of a kind and has its own story behind it. For the S/S collection in particular, we wanted to find clothes that would create the perfect festival outfit and make you stand out from the crowd. 

UO: What were your inspirations for the new range?

SK: I take inspiration from wherever I go- this job means I’m travelling round the world and always taking in new things. Even if it’s watching telly or on the tube, you never really switch off.

UO: Does it take long to put a collection like this together?

SK: There’s a lot of work that has gone into the collection that’s behind the scenes. So we’ve spent the last 6-12 months hand-selecting every piece of the new range. We will spend around 10 days in a location with hours and hours spent rummaging through huge warehouses.

UO: What drew you to the pieces that you have selected?

SK: This is the kind of collection that speaks for itself. With everything being so unique it was hard to hand over the pieces because they all have their own unique feature or quality that I loved.

The quality of the pieces is also really important. There are some pieces that are up to 60-70 years old, but we always make sure the clothes are good quality.

UO: Do you have a favourite piece in the collection?

SK: There’s so many pieces that I love, it’s hard to choose. There are some silk kimonos and a sheer black maxi dress that I love. There’s also a vintage denim jacket that we found in a flea market in California. It’s been customised by an American high school kid with pens and glitter paint and looks amazing -  the customised clothes always have a great story behind them.

UO: What’s the best bit about being a senior fashion buyer?

SK: I love being able to travel so much and work with such amazing characters in the business. Building the relationships with other fashion buyers has also been a high because you are both working together towards the same goal.

UO: What advice would you give to someone that is interested in following a similar career path?

SK: I would say to be really proactive and get as much experience as possible. Even working in retail at a shop level as an assistant gives you exposure to the retail industry. When I was working in retail part time throughout college and my degree it helped me to see a different angle. This stays in your mind even afterwards so you can take into account the shops needs and frustrations. So my advice would be to get as much experience as possible and being persistent with it. 

I was so happy that Urban Outfitters had already beat me to the punch and asked Sarah everything I wanted to know. I know some of you are looking for work within the industry, so I hope this helps and inspires you as well. They also told me they get inspired by a mix of what they see on the street, bloggers and the catwalk. 

I was chatting with them about my obsession with Instagram, and they were telling me as it's so instant it can be overwhelming for them. I guess for the team, it's about channeling all this fashion inspiration/information into something ahead of whats already going on. It's about keeping it fresh and beyond trends, they do an amazing job and it was great to hear how they work together.  I had a great evening and it's was great to have a loo at the new collection. What do you think? If you have any others questions, please leave a comment as I'm happy to ask the team.