It's not a regular 9-5 job...

posted by Sara Metcalfe
10 June 2015

I joined Clarks because I was so impressed by the passion and commitment of the people who work here. They always strive to sweat the detail and put forward the best possible end result. Also, despite having nearly 1000 employees here, there’s a great sense of inclusiveness and friendliness along with the openness to explore, develop and carry through ideas. That’s exciting and stretching.

The Trends Team is one of the few departments within Clarks that supports the business from the beginning of the season. I’ve been on the team four and a half years now and still don’t have any intention of leaving it in the near future! Working alongside Marketing, we research emerging trends to help the product team develop the season’s creative direction and colour palette. We also help our website and store teams to pass advice and information on trends to customers. In between all this, we’re also busy influencing and persuading various global teams regarding the footwear, lifestyle and fashion trends they should adopt.    

Taking a vast amount of information and drilling it down to a small number of trend stories can be challenging, such as explaining why an exhibition in Berlin or the latest James Bond film will be influencing men’s footwear in 2 years’ time. It can take people aback!

I’m proud of the #ClarksStyle project we did at the London Collections which ran for four seasons. I created the project to raise awareness of the brand within the fashion arena by having key, top menswear bloggers wear, write about and share our Men’s Tor collection via their websites and social media during the event which is held in January and June in central London. We also had a very British icon – the Range Rover – liveried with the Clarks logo.  The #ClarksStyle hashtag was seen by hundreds of people as it transported bloggers around the shows. The feedback and engagement the project received was superb.

Our success is all down to our people. The Trends Team has a wide variety of skills and backgrounds within it, from journalism to illustration, colour, prints and digital skills. Bringing these all together to form a clear creative direction and trend forecast is, and has been, instrumental in the profile of one of the smallest yet most influential teams within Clarks. 

Open collaboration and dialogue is very important in working as a team generally, which helps open up opportunities to explore, research and communicate ideas and thoughts. Operating worldwide, encountering different cultures and ways of working keeps things fresh and exciting. There’s also a great sense of fun, as there are plenty of opportunities to socialise from cake sales, sports days and team days - that helps take off the pressure of the day job and keep things in perspective

I love Clarks for many reasons, from the opportunities to travel to the overall collaboration and relationships within the team and the wider product community. I’ve had a host of IT training, a Leather course with the British Footwear Association, coaching in Presentation Skills and Influencing Stakeholders and soon I’ll be doing an Emotional Intelligence course. To say you’re working in an office is far from the reality. It’s not a regular 9-5 job that can become repetitive but an environment that is ever changing, evolving and interesting. No day is ever the same.

A while ago I was invited to present the Trend and Product Strategy and Brand Outline in Tokyo to key press and buyers for the re-launch of Clarks in Japan. Ticking off both Las Vegas and Tokyo from my life bucket list in the space of a year was a great thrill.

Another huge advantage is our location. Whilst the appeal of being based in the countryside to pursue a creative career can often baffle people, Clarks is close enough to Bath, Bristol and London (as well as having Bristol Airport on the door step) to visit, explore and come away to download and evaluate.

As well as the sense of inclusiveness and friendliness, Clarks offer great benefits. Heavily discounted shoes are probably the most popular but there’s also a fair and generous salary package.

Outside of work I’m the owner and editor of one of the most influential menswear blogs in the world (Top 10 for Men’s, Top 100 for Fashion) which keeps me very busy. I am a big fan of contemporary art and culture, so I spend a lot of time in Bristol and London, as well as catching up on my favourite crime and action thriller TV shows and films.

I’m a huge advocate of sharing knowledge with young people and students, so I’m continuing to lecture at the Plymouth College of Arts in Devon, helping students to learn how trends and colour pallets are formed, made and executed on both a high-end and commercial level.
 

Dan - Group Men’s Trends Analyst - Street, Somerset, UK

Categories: Headquarters | Street | UK | Trends |