Showroom manager: A half-marathon every day
In this Q&A we spoke with a showroom manager. Susanne came from the tourism industry but made the leap into fashion 20 years ago.
Susanne plans a half-marathon every single day-not on the track, but in the showroom: between collection changes, client meetings, and the quiet art of weaving stories from fabrics and moods.
- Physical labour included: setting up and dismantling collections, booking models, coordinating client appointments-a showroom doesn’t run on autopilot. Susanne has been at it for 20 years and still looks forward to every new collection.
- Multitasking as a core skill: orders, returns, liaising with designers, customer care-everything happens in parallel, especially during high season when the daily routine turns into a sprint.
- Inspiring surroundings: despite the stress, a showroom is stylish, the ambience is special-and anyone who loves that keeps coming back in.
A job that blends fashion with logistics
You work for one of Italy’s largest fashion groups, right in the heart of Munich, and your workspace looks like a curated lookbook: sun-drenched rooms, new collections on racks, fabrics waiting for the perfect light. It sounds glamorous. Sometimes it is. But before the image is set, behind it lies a logistical tour de force that most people never see.
Susanne has been a showroom manager for 20 years. She started in tourism, but fashion never let her go. Today she coordinates everything between delivery and customer presentation: setting up and dismantling collections, booking models, supporting buyers, and handling everything in between. Her take is straightforward: “You’ve got to be willing to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty.”
A showroom isn’t a warehouse-here, fashion isn’t just shown, it’s experienced. Running it daily demands the stamina of a marathon runner and the precision of a watchmaker.
Four collections a year-and two exceptions
Most brands in the group deliver four collections annually. Two exceptions run only two drops per season. In practice, that means the rhythm is relentless. As soon as one collection is installed, planning for the next is already under way. In between: buyer appointments, returns of misdelivered accessories, coordination with the warehouse.
What Susanne describes isn’t a 9-to-5 job. Multitasking isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s the baseline. During high season-when buyer visits and collection swaps collide-there are no quiet days. Prioritization is everything: what needs to happen now, what can wait, what absolutely cannot go wrong? That instinct doesn’t come from a textbook; it comes from 20 years of experience.
What keeps Susanne in this job
Stress and precision on one side, style and ambience on the other. Susanne sums it up herself: a beautiful workplace, tasteful and set in a gorgeous environment. If you love fashion and thrive on dynamism, you’ll find a job here that never gets boring. That holds true after 20 years just as much as on day one.
Quick Answers
▸What does a showroom manager actually do?
She coordinates everything between delivery and customer presentation: setting up and dismantling collections, booking models, supporting buyers, and aligning with the warehouse and design team. The role blends physical effort, logistics, and a keen sense of style.
▸How many collections does a showroom handle each year?
In Susanne’s group, most brands have four exits a year; two exceptions run only two collections. The turnover is rapid-hardly has one collection been installed before planning for the next is already underway.
▸What does it take to do this job?
Multitasking isn’t optional; it’s mandatory. You also need a feel for atmosphere, a willingness to get your hands dirty, and enough resilience for high season-when buyer visits, deliveries, and collection swaps collide.
