Real-World Fashion Buying Expertise to Help You Grow Your Career

You’re here because you’re serious about growing your fashion buying career—but maybe you’re stuck between learning on the job and being expected to already know it all. I’ve been where you are.

I’m Elisabeth Mac Hale, founder of Design Directive, a consultancy and training platform for fashion buyers ready to take the next step in their career. I’ve spent over 30 years working across every stage of the product journey—from concept and design to buying, sourcing, planning, and trading for major international retailers. But even talented, hardworking buyers aren’t always given the training they need to succeed.

Helping Fashion Buyers Build Confidence, Strategy & Career Momentum

After decades building profitable ranges and leading buying teams, I saw a pattern: many junior and mid-level buyers weren’t lacking drive—they were lacking strategic coaching and commercial context.

That gap led to missed opportunities, poor decision-making, and slower career progression.

Now, I work with buyers like you to:

Strengthen commercial thinking
Build confidence in decision-making
Sharpen trading, product development, and sourcing skills
And help you feel seen, heard, and respected in your role

Whether you’re a graduate buyer, a product developer stepping up, or a mid-level buyer looking to lead, I’m here to support your journey with real-world insights, not textbook fluff.

Case Study 1

Getting a project brief to create a new brand and strategy provides a great challenge to deliver something that does not already exist. Our case study explores how this vision became a reality through meticulous planning and strategic execution.

Case Study 2

LET’S GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER

In this case study, we embarked on the exciting journey of rejuvenating a retail concept to offer a fresh and engaging shopping experience. This transformation involved a complete rebranding of the product offer and the development of robust standard operating procedures to ensure its success.

"Our project was very successful thanks to a very competent partner that is very capable of mixing strategy, analysis and insights with primary and secondary data researching!"

- Jace Alexander

"She helped me convert creative skills into business strategy, focus on my target customer and develop a strong brand profile, conduct in-depth sales analysis and product analysis, and offered consultation on many other necessary skills."

- Sita Raiter

"What I liked was her professionalism and her in-depth knowledge of retail design, merchandising and planning. Her expertise in understanding trends and spotting trends is really good.!"

- Madhu Dutta

Fueled By

LET’S GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER

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Fueled By

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Fueled By

A Trip to the Sea

How Can We Work Together?

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The Shop

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Photos

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The Course

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HOW TO MASTER FASHION BUYING: YOUR ULTIMATE ANSWER GUIDE

DOWNLOAD this free guide with answers to the most frequently asked questions about fashion buying. As a buyer you need to know how to manage each step of the buying cycle. Get the answers you need to go from good to GREAT !