Antony

Stylist

“You get the chance to work with people from different places and cultures.”

• What does a good day look like in your role?

  As a stylist I have to perform all the time!

  If that's on the shop floor it means to convert every single customer that passes through the store door. Fulfill their request/needs or find/propose alternatives. Encourage them to add on items through the styling process and boost their confidence so they'll feel secure about their purchase.

  Concerning the back of house, it means being a support for my teammates on the floor, sort as many operational tasks as I can with pace, and ensure that the stock room is clean and well organised. With that kind of performance, all KPIs would lift easily and I and my team will certainly achieve a great day!

• What does a challenging day look like in your role?

  Every single day is challenging on its own but if I had to pick one I would say working on the peak. Being able to sort lots of operational tasks and manage every customer during peak is the most challenging experience. One of my beloved managers used to say that "Here comes Christmas, the most crucial moment of the year. Just like any football team competing to win the Champions League trophy every year, we retailers trained ourselves all the year to be able to perform and win on moments like these... Peak times are our Champions League games".

• What do you get up to in a typical day/week?

  As a stylist, my typical good routine would be... Start the day at 10am, run a check over the store floor and the stock room to see what needs to be done. Do some operational tasks (back stock, delivery, online orders, recall, etc.). Set myself ready and get a brief, five minutes before the opening, to be aware of the daily store targets and trade opportunities. Open the store and greet customers. Get in touch with each of them. Share with them some tips and style them from head-to-toe every time you get the opportunity. Make some good sales to achieve those KPIs and leave a sparkling smile on every customer's face. Close the store door and ensure that the store looks impeccable for the next run!

• What’s the best thing about working for AllSaints?

  By working for AllSaints you get a wardrobe allowance, a staff card discount and have the opportunity to compete for the various incentives we have throughout the year. But above all, you get the chance to work with people from different places and cultures.

• What’s the most surprising or unexpected thing about working for us?

  Visual guidelines are the AllSaints bible!

  It's always been surprising for me to see how people followed the visual guidelines without any question. To me, it's always meant getting less freedom but after a few years in the brand, I've finally realised how important they are. Visual guidelines may feel heavy on us sometimes but it's thanks to them that we are coherent and impactful as a brand.

• Why AllSaints?

  My love story with the brand began in 2011 in France, when I received my Hampton coat from the Parisian AllSaints store. As soon as I opened the package, I fell in love with the charcoal colour signature of the brand!

  After eight years of service in a cosmetics concept store (family business), I and all the partners decided to close the shop for economical purposes. I moved to join my sister in London. A few days after my arrival I applied to AllSaints, without thinking twice because in my heart I felt that the rest of my story had to be written within the brand of which I had been a customer for many years.

• What’s not in the job description but something you’d tell a friend if they were looking to join the brand?

  Anyone wishing to join the AllSaints family must be able to work in a fast-paced environment. So it is important to keep yourself up-to-date constantly on products, collections, campaigns, and various promotions of the brand. Just as Adam Smires said so well, "whoever holds the information holds the power".

• Tell us about your journey with AllSaints so far.

  It's been two years since I joined the AllSaints family. Two very small years for some but an eternity in the retail world!

  Thanks to the support of my managers, I was able to emancipate myself as a stylist and put my sales skills at the service of my team. After 2019, and a few "Saints of the month" awards won, I and all my team have had to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. It was not the easiest but thanks to everyone's effort we managed to come out with our heads held high. Our "A conscious commitment" campaign, promoted by the brand, is one of the symbols of this success! Nowadays, I try to take part in the visual merchandising of my store by participating in the launch of each new collection. I make sure I have a positive impact on the development of each of my teammates through training sessions. And finally, I keep on being faithful to my standards..."flawless all the time".