Nadia Ronteix is a personal shopper I was lucky enough to meet at PAP SS2013 women’s fashion week. We were sitting next to each other and she decided to strike up a conversation with me. One thing led to another, and she ended up telling me all about her job and her original approach. Interview with the main person involved:
Mary Yasmine Arrouche: Hello Nadia, could you first introduce yourself and what you do?
Nadia Ronteix: So I’ve been a personal shopper for five years, and I’m here to make people look good, to show the fun side of fashion.
M.Y.A: How did you become a personal shopper?
N.R.:It was providence, because I used to work in a buying office and then people from the Middle East contacted me to do some shopping. I didn’t know anything about the personal shopper profession, and then I thought it was a fun thing to do, so one day I decided to go for it. It’s providence, it came to me.
M.Y.A: Who uses your services?
N.R.: It’s open to everyone. Of course, most of our customers are on the lookout for emerging brands or are at a turning point in their lives. But it really is open to everyone.
M.Y.A.: How do people hear about you?
N.R.: So, I have customer suppliers, those who find me customers, so I also have visibility on the Net and word of mouth.
M.Y.A.: We met during fashion week at the Pascal Millet show, so I was curious to know what motivated your presence at the show?
N.R.: I’m there to soak up the trends, see what’s going on and feed myself with ideas. Fashion Week is extremely important because it allows me to really immerse myself in the fashion world, which is my field. It allows me to “feed myself” and keep an eye on the outside world.
M.Y.A.: We were just talking about Fashion Week, which is a rather “special” time of year. How do you normally spend your days?
N.R.: So I don’t have customers every day like doctors do. In the best of cases, I may have ten customers in a month. Then there’s the job of prospecting and maintaining relationships with creators. It’s important that I meet them, that I keep up to date with their news, and then there’s the big job of ongoing research.
M.Y.A.: You talked to me about a rather special approach to personal shopping. Can you tell us a little more about it?
N.R.: I’m saying that fashion can actually be used for personal harmony. I don’t shop for shopping’s sake. The idea is to see what emotion the person is in relation to a color test. Afterwards, I use this technique, and morphopsychology too, to try and get to the heart of the person. Some people can’t necessarily verbalize their desires. It’s important that people find themselves in harmony with themselves, that they feel good.
M.Y.A.: What qualities do you think are necessary for your profession?
N.R.: Emotional intelligence but not too much empathy, a good fashion culture and the ability to adapt to any situation. Be constantly on the lookout, maintain good relationships with designers for exclusivity on certain pieces.
M.Y.A.: What are the pros and cons of the job?
N.R.: So, I’m married to my job (laughs) it’s my husband! My professional life is mixed with my personal life, which is nice, but people tend not to see the boundary anymore. I’ve become indispensable, like a best friend, but discreet. I’m there to bring out the best in people.
M.Y.A.: What happens when someone decides to call on you?
N.R.: First of all, there’s a one-hour preliminary interview, an exchange which helps to create a climate of trust with the customer. I look at the person’s personality and lifestyle, and take into account what they want. I make a summary by e-mail that I send to the customer so that he can reread and then validate the proposals, I put the pieces aside and all that’s left to do is the fittings.
M.Y.A.: Do you only deal with clothes?
N.R.: There’s a fine line between relooking and personal shopping, but we use the same techniques. We don’t call it relooking anymore, because it’s an outdated term, but if the person wants me to take care of make-up or hair, that’s also possible.
M.Y.A.: What are your prospects for the future?
N.R.: Lots of things! (laughs) I’m in the process of creating a remote advice service for a fixed monthly fee, where customers would have access to unlimited advice from a personal shopper, no need to travel, the best friend is at a distance but available. I’d also like to create a team of personal shoppers by Nadia Ronteix who represent me and use my techniques.
M.Y.A.: Thank you very much Nadia, that’s all!
N.R.: Thanks to you!
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