Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
May 19, 2025

Consumers have come to expect a shopping experience that is as inspirational as it is seamless, and Parisian department stores have become increasingly rigorous in putting together their assortment. While well-established houses are consolidating their hegemony and international consumers are searching for directional products, department stores play a booster role both for emerging and established labels, thanks to the work of their purchasing departments. The latter gear up painstakingly for the season before trawling the fashion weeks to spot directional trends and draw up bespoke selections, steering a course between new hits and safe bets. But how does a department store’s purchasing office identify a season’s winning looks? How does it build up an assortment that reflects both the department store’s DNA and its customers’ new desiderata? To find out, FashionNetwork.com has met the heads of fashion purchasing at Printemps, La Samaritaine, Bon Marché and Galeries Lafayette Haussmann.

The first finding was that purchasing departments begin their work well before the fashion week buzz sparks worldwide interest. “Pre-orders are placed usually between the end of November and early December. In the past, we used to start in January, and the schedule was extremely intense, but in the last few years it has become more diluted, making the period less hectic,” said Alix Morabito, head of womenswear purchasing at Galeries Lafayette.

It still is a crucial period. At La Samaritaine, between 60% and 70% of the budget is spent on pre-collections, and only 20% to 25% at runway show time, said Victoria Dartigues. Each period has a well-defined role. “Runway shows allow us to have a feel for a label’s season and for the creative director’s vision of the collection,” said Maud Barrionuevo, head of product assortment at Printemps. “[Show looks] tend to arrive later in-store and, volume-wise, they are less significant than the pre-collections.”

According to Morabito, “pre-orders are pure business: we look at the heart of the collection, we try to anticipate trends, we discover new brands. During the shows, we try to confirm our intuitions and feel the collection’s energy.” She went on to say that “whether it’s pre-collections or the fashion week, our buyers must see everything. It’s not just a matter of placing orders, it's also about meeting labels, discussing their product and marketing strategies. This enables us to anticipate where the market is heading and to stay tuned to designers and consumers’ expectations.”

Department store purchasing offices are very well organised when it comes to identifying micro-trends. At Printemps, Barrionuevo underlined the importance of “rotating staff based on the brands followed” to ensure unity of vision across the season while relying on specific expertise.

At LVMH-owned La Samaritaine, Dartigues insisted on the importance of preparing in advance: “We do a lot of analysis by reading FashionNetwork.com, BOF or WWD, but above all, we maximise our showroom presence.”

At Galeries Lafayette, the organisation has adapted to today’s frantic collection pace. “Each buyer follows the labels in their portfolio during fashion weeks, enabling us to cover a wide range of brands while capitalising on individual expertise,” said Morabito.

Le Bon Marché, founded in 1852 and a household name on Paris’s Rive Gauche, relies on constant presence. “There’s always at least one person on every fashion week,” said Isabelle Fine, Bon Marché’s head of womenswear. “After the shows, buyers meet to take stock. We place our orders more or less a week after the end of the [fashion week] marathon. We list the main trends we’ve identified, and where we spotted them. Each of us has their own feel and eye,” she added. 

This collective yet structured approach is designed to enable buyers to identify strong trends in real time, to feel a season’s design vibe, and to anticipate changes in consumption behaviour.

Identifying the right signals is not enough: The main challenge is to transform creative intuition into a solid commercial range. “We work on pre-defined targets: Which labels to explore, which categories to push, which sections to complete,” said Barrionuevo. Decisions are then made between consolidating the existing product range and introducing novelties likely to attract customers looking for excitement, but also guaranteeing quality and value.

“Nowadays, customers want products they can invest in: fine fabrics, impeccable cuts, durability,” said Dartigues. “But we must also surprise them, make them discover something new. That's why we always keep some extra funds, what we call a buffer, to grab showroom opportunities,” she added.

Alix Morabito, head of womenswear purchasing at Galeries Lafayette

Galeries Lafayette Haussmann’s Morabito insisted on purchasing discipline: “We set targets by brand and category, with a very precise distribution between the assortment’s width and depth. Each choice must comply with a very strict grid: product type, size, rollover/seasonal mix.” A rigorous process designed to ensure a balance is struck between new designs and economic feasibility.

Once the shows are over, it is time for practical choices. Buyers visit showrooms where they strive to transform the season’s main inspirations into incisive product selections tailored to their customers. “A show sets the tone and gives a very clear indication of a creative director’s vision, but it is in the showrooms that we really build the season. Depending on where we are, we pay attention to garments and details in different ways. I’d say that a show is an experience, while a showroom is more a place for purchasing realities, where we do a different kind work and analysis,” said Fine of Le Bon Marché.

Collections are presented in full in a showroom, where buyers must tweak their selection: which items from the show should they include? Which of the more commercial items should they add to generate momentum in-store? “We look at everything to do with a show, its styling, casting and setting, then in the showroom, we look for what we can actually offer our customers,” said Morabito. She noted that certain highly creative runway items “are often available later, and in limited quantities,” while pre-collections have a bearing on the bulk of their sales.

At La Samaritaine, this stage is akin to a marathon. “At showroom time, the pace is relentless, up to 10 appointments a day, with constant WhatsApp messaging going on between team members to make the right choices,” said Dartigues. Even if the occasional impulsive choice is made, buyers are always on the look-out for the appropriate item at the right price. Barrionuevo described the systematic review process adopted at Printemps: “Each [product] selection is carefully screened to ensure it strikes the correct balance between creativity and commercial targets.”

Within an environment where designer fashion is confronted with the rise of well-established ultra-luxury and a frenetic trend turnover, department stores play a valuable role as intermediary between artistic elan and market realities.

The number of independent fashion concept stores has drastically shrunk, and department stores are among the last venues where emerging designers can feature. Although the leading luxury names, with which the chains said they are in constant conversation to select the products best-suited to their customers, are applying a great deal of pressure of their own, occupying increasingly more store space. However, it isn’t only a cultural issue, but a business one too. “As buyers, we are forever looking for something that will generate surprise and fresh interest for our customers next season. We must know how to surprise them, to always give them new reasons to visit the store,” said Dartigues.

At Galeries Lafayette, this imperative is all the stronger as the boulevard Haussmann flagship is a global showcase, attracting customers from Europe, Asia and the Middle East. “We vary our range store by store: a branch outside Paris doesn’t have the same requirements as boulevard Haussmann,” said Morabito, emphasising the need for an ultra-targeted strategy. “When we decide to introduce an emerging designer, it's never just a one-off attempt. We have a multi-season plan. It takes time for a brand to emerge: two, three seasons sometimes, before you have visible results,” she added.

“We aim not to simply follow trends, we must also be different and individual with our own approach. That’s why we take a close look at all the new brands, as well as wanting to feature in all market segments. The emerging designers we introduce as an exclusive in any given season are chosen through an approval committee, where each buyer puts forward their favourites. This is where the new entries are picked,” said Fine of Bon Marché.

The equilibrium between style diktats and commercial viability is a fragile one, and Parisian department stores are treading a fine line between selecting an assortment likely to attract a diverse range of international consumers and acting as partners of a contemporary fashion in constant transformation.