S10 E5 The Stories Shaping Retail with Gabriele Dirvanauskas, Drapers Deputy Editor

Drapers has been the trusted voice of the fashion retail industry for nearly 140 years, connecting leaders, breaking news, and shaping conversations across print, digital, and social. In this episode, we sit down with Gabriele Dirvanauskas, Deputy Editor at Drapers, to get a front-row look at how the publication covers the biggest stories in retail and what's really happening behind the scenes for the people who work in it.

Gabi takes us through her own path into fashion journalism - from a work experience placement at Marks & Spencer's press office, to cutting her teeth at the Sun newspaper, to her current role at Drapers covering everything from leadership shake-ups to shop floor culture. From there, the conversation turns to one of the year's biggest talking points: Drapers' recent salary survey, which has ignited a wider industry conversation about pay, support, and transparency for buyers, merchandisers, and designers alike. We also get into how AI is changing (and not changing) the buying role, and why face-to-face industry events are more important than ever.

Three Key Takeaways

Retail buying salaries don't reflect the growing responsibility of the role. Drapers' salary survey found 71.2% of respondents don't think their pay reflects their responsibilities, and only 17.2% believe their salary is fair. As teams shrink and channels multiply (global sourcing, multi-channel selling, social media competition), workloads have grown - but compensation hasn't kept pace.Transparency and support matter as much as pay. Beyond salary, respondents called for clearer pay bands, better maternity conditions, flexible working, and stronger support from leadership. Many buyers feel too intimidated to ask for raises, and businesses often lack transparency about what the next career step actually requires.AI can't replace the human side of buying - but it's reshaping entry-level roles. While AI tools are improving efficiency across retail, we all agree AI cannot replace the judgment, relationships, and hands-on experience buyers bring. The bigger risk is losing entry-level positions, which cuts off the pipeline of new talent learning the ropes.

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