Why Fashion Buyers Struggle to Push Back at Work (And What to Do Instead) episode artwork

EPISODE · May 18, 2026 · 14 MIN

Why Fashion Buyers Struggle to Push Back at Work (And What to Do Instead)

from Thrive in Fashion Buying and Merchandising · host Elisabeth Mac Hale

Most buyers at the three to five year stage in their careers know when they should push back. The challenge is knowing how to do this in a way that is commercially useful rather than personally costly.In this episode, Elisabeth Mac Hale breaks down why mid-career buyers struggle to raise a contrary view at work, and what the language and approach of a well-delivered pushback actually looks like. This episode is for buyers who have the commercial instinct to see problems coming but are not yet confident in their ability to raise them effectively in the room.Key TakeawayExpressing a contrary view as a question about the commercial outcome rather than a statement of disagreement is almost always more effective and more credible. Buyers who develop that habit are consistently perceived as commercially mature well before their title reflects it.Links & Resources:Take the free Buyer-Ready Assessment: ⁠https://designdirectiveme.com/buyer-ready-assessment⁠Online Buying Course: ⁠Thrive in Fashion Buying⁠Connect with Elisabeth:Podcast: Thrive in Fashion Buying and Merchandising on ⁠Spotify⁠, ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ and You Tube or wherever you listen to your podcastsInstagram: ⁠@designdirectivedubai⁠LinkedIn: ⁠Elisabeth Mac Hale⁠Website : ⁠The Design Directive⁠ If this episode was useful, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it helps the show reach more buyers who need it. And share it with someone who has a review coming up.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 18, 2026

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Why Fashion Buyers Struggle to Push Back at Work (And What to Do Instead)

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