Prosecco, ping pong and parties: What it’s like to be a grad at one of the UK’s largest fashion companies
An amazing office and 25 per cent discount? Count me in
With massive brands like Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge to its name, it’s rare to find a person who hasn’t splashed a large part of their loan in one of Arcadia’s stores.
But is working for such a huge player in the fashion industry as glamorous as we all think? We spoke to two of Arcadia’s grads about what it’s like to be at the forefront of everything cool.
Arcadia includes big names like Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge
Meet the grads
Rachel Nugent (left) is a Buyers’ Admin Assistant at Topshop. She studied Fashion Buying and Merchandising at Manchester Met. Spencer Dennis (right) is a Merchandising Admin Assistant at Topshop and studied Politics at the University of Essex and Colchester.
Is Arcadia anything like The Devil Wears Prada?
Rachel: I was worried it would be really cliquey, but I haven’t met anyone like that. Everyone is super chilled and I made friends straight away. There isn’t a dress code at all – on my first day I had no idea what to wear, but as long as you express your individual style it doesn’t matter.
There are clothes everywhere, so in that sense it does fit the ‘fashion brand’ stereotype, but in such a good way. I love being surrounded by energetic, creative people.
Spencer: It’s like The Devil Wears Prada only in the sense that we’re at the forefront of fashion – Arcadia definitely sets the trends. It’s amazing to work somewhere that’s dictates style and is so innovative and forward-thinking.
Arcadia are looking for eagle-eyed grads to start a career in Merchandising – apply here
What does a typical day at Arcadia look like?
Rachel: I get into the office at 8:40am and unpack garments onto rails for our models. My department is casual jackets, which is surprisingly broad. There are regular sample sales which anyone is welcome to – you can always get a great bargain.
I spend most of the day liaising with suppliers and other people in the department, keeping track of samples or meeting with my team about what new products to develop. I go home at about 5:20pm. I love every second of it.
Spencer: Every day is different for me. When I’m not at my desk I’m often visiting stores to get an idea of how products are performing and how we can improve sales. It’s so helpful to see how pieces sell in practice rather than just looking at numbers on a computer – I love how analytical and interactive it is.
My job is really engaging – it’s a creative environment because I’m constantly working with clothes, but I also have to be practical, looking at strategy and figuring out how much product to send and where to send it to. It’s also exciting working together with the Buying team because we get an idea of what the next trends will be before they’re in stores.
Does it feel corporate working for such a huge company?
Rachel: It’s actually really relaxed – it’s not corporate at all. Working for Arcadia was a real end-goal for me because it’s such an influential company. If I’d been told a year ago I’d be working here, I wouldn’t have believed my luck.
What makes it better is that even though I’m quite junior and the business is so huge, my opinion is really valued and I feel like I have a voice. It’s great to be surrounded by so many empowering, like-minded colleagues. I know people who have met their best mates and even their partners at Arcadia.
Spencer: When I thought of an office job I imagined people would be cracking the whip and telling me what to do, but it’s totally different to that – everyone is really fun and friendly and I was comfortable straight away.
Also, it sounds obvious, but everyone who works here has such amazing fashion sense, I feel like I’m right at the cutting edge.
Are there amazing perks?
Rachel: Absolutely! For me, the building is the greatest perk – it’s just so beautiful. We’ve got a fancy restaurant, a blow-dry and nail bar, as well as chill out areas where you can play ping pong or just take five.
The parties are pretty legendary too – there’s always stuff being organised for us. We have amazing Christmas parties – once we took over Ministry of Sound and Groove Armada played a set. We also had a mini festival in the office called Arcadia Fest with loads going on, there was a glitter bar, free food and prosecco – I don’t think you’d get that at many other big companies.
Spencer: The 25 per cent discount across all of Arcadia Brands is a massive perk, especially when you know what’s going to be on-trend before it hits the shops. All my friends are really jealous.
Also, every Friday between July and August we finish at 3pm – pretty much everyone goes down to the bar to relax and have a laugh together.
Do you have to pull crazy hours?
Spencer: We all need to work hard but when you love your job it’s much easier. Because we’re all mates we often hang out and go for drinks after work. There’s a really good sense of community.
Rachel: Generally, the work-life balance is great. Obviously fashion is a busy and fast-paced industry and it’s really up to us to get our work done. People graft if they have to, but the culture is so good at Arcadia that I never mind putting in the extra hours.
Check out Arcadia’s Early Careers opportunities here
Apply for their grad roles now