Verity Booker

• Led the transformation of URBN’s in-house Lingerie brand Out From Under by re-establishing a clear creative direction and elevating the brand identity.
• Out From Under is a multi-category brand encompassing lingerie, loungewear, hosiery, swimwear, beachwear, and branded intimate and swim collections, reflecting a broad and diversified product offering. (multi-category responsibility/ high SKU counts/ range planning and option planning)
• Delivering FY26 Sales 26million (+6% vs year & plan). While reducing markdown from 39% to 25%.
• Oversee a 16.5m seasonal dept, driving sales through strategic option planning and in-season trading.
• Implementing strategic structures across all buying areas and sourcing to ensure business and team success.
• Partnered closely with production, design and sourcing teams across both nearshore and offshore suppliers to optimise margin and reduce markdown risk, delivering significant margin improvement. (Margin Growth 74.5% vs 73% SS25).
• Oversee and develop a team of three Buying Assistants (1x AB/ 2 x BAAs), providing day-to-day leadership, guidance, and performance management to ensure efficient execution across all buying activities.
• Working cross-functionally with social and marketing teams to align on brand vision, contributing to campaign development and providing direction on photoshoots to ensure a cohesive identity.

• Led rebrand of Nasty Gal into a design-led, in-house buying business with a refreshed creative vision.
• Delivered margin growth from 60% to 72% through strategic sourcing and production management.
• Oversaw option planning (SS23: 1500 / AW23: 1700 styles).
• Managed team of 4 and mentored wider cross-functional teams.
• Played key role in Warehouse brand repositioning.
• Developed wholesale strategy, strengthening global partnerships.
• Led creative collaborations with artists and influencers, enhancing brand engagement.
• Worked closely with marketing on campaign direction and photoshoots.

Department Responsibility:

Knitwear: £2.5M (SS23) / £4.7M (AW23)

Denim: £2.2M (SS23) / £2.6M (AW23)

Casualwear: £2.2M (SS23) / £2.9M (AW23)

• Global sales of £30m a season (AW), 400 options.
• Delivering digital growth +24% +£1.2M vs LY
• Knitwear - 39m (400 options). Alongside merch team responsible for hitting all kpi’s (Reduced markdown lowest within buying teams).
• Set buying strategy balancing immediate and longer term goals to maximise opportunities and minimise risks whilst challenging global data seeing themes and pattern to playback a compelling plan.
• Responsible for sourcing strategy - Downtime (9m) drove margin for the bottom-line TS business achieving 75-80%.
• Grew Sustainability dept. mix +54% AW21 strategy 80% Mix/ drove 70% mix recycled and natural yarns.
• Lingerie/Swimwear/Lounge-wear - £10m SS Half/ 600 options.
• Managed a team of 5x ensuring over achievers with key development in place.
• Key lead in supporting senior Management to create and deliver brand strategy across all channels by owning third-party partnerships (digital, retail, wholesale and international ie Nordstrom and Asos). enabling growth and driving sales with record results
• Considered customer profiling for all markets needs.
• Evaluated competitors and the wider market to identify key strategic vision for dept adjusting appropriately to a moving market.
• Responsible for timely department sign offs/reviews with senior management delivering with gravitas.
• Ensures product development is constantly evolving, working closely with Design and the supply base to create exceptional styles to excite and attract existing and new customers.
• Managing supplier strategies and reviews, managing respectful business relationships to drive product development
• Exemplary leader, balancing high levels of support with challenges to get the best from my team.
• Commercial decision maker, able to balance immediate needs with longer term strategy to maximise opportunities and minimise risks

• As part of wider team established company strategy setting brand vision and USP and therefore buying direction
• Responsible for total product cycle - sourcing fabrics and yarns / patterns / production / brand campaigns and shoots for online platform across total product collection
• Successfully managed a company growth of +66% (jersey dress +193% / jersey tops +93%)
• Drove profit ensuring dynamic approach to grow margin.
• Strategic process implication how product can be sourced and created differently, pursuing new sourcing opportunities to drive product growth and profit.
• Monitored returns rates and implemented course of action accordingly.
• Direct department responsibility; Knitwear, Casual Jersey and Wovens (30% company mix) . Reporting directly to Head of Buying and Fashion MD.
• Working closely with the Merchandiser to balance trading and planning, creating timely and exciting ranges to drive KPIs.
• In collaboration with wider team instilled customer feedback and profiling strategy
• Partnered and supported wholesale (ie. John Lewis / Brown Thomas).
• Worked closely with the Creative Director in managing shoots and creating direction.
• Alongside design set collaboration collections with female influencers.
• Finery London, Luxurious Fashion Ecom start up, launched as a brand in 2014, headed up by three leading creatives in the high street industry.