Truworths Is Searching for New Trainee Buyers Ready to Shape Fashion in South Africa

Truworths invites suitably qualified applicants to apply for their Trainee Buyer vacancies. The closing date for applications is 23 December 2025. If you love fashion, enjoy keeping up with global style trends, and dream of building a strong career in the retail industry, then this opportunity from Truworths could be the start of something amazing for you.

This position forms part of the well-known Merchant Training Programme, designed to shape young creative talent into strong future buyers for the brand. If you have a good eye for style, enjoy creative work, and want to influence what ends up on store shelves across the country, this role is exactly the type of break many people hope for.

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Why This Opportunity Matters

Working as a Trainee Buyer at Truworths is not just another job. It is a training ground built to help you grow your skills, strengthen your creative voice, learn commercial thinking, and understand the retail world from the inside. As one of South Africa’s biggest fashion retailers, Truworths works with international style inspiration, fast-changing customer needs, and competitive market trends. Being part of this environment helps you learn how fashion truly works behind the scenes.

For many young people, breaking into the fashion industry is difficult. This programme gives you real training, mentorship, and hands-on experience in product design, trend research, buying decisions, and supplier negotiations. Truworths wants people who can bring new ideas, energy, and passion into the business—especially those who want a long-term fashion career.

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What You Will Be Doing Every Day

Creative and Conceptual Work

One of your most important tasks will be providing fresh creative ideas. You will help shape fashion ranges by taking inspiration from global trends and adapting them to what South African customers want. This means researching new colours, silhouettes, patterns, and fabrics, then giving meaningful input as the team creates new collections.

Developing Fashion-Forward Ranges

You will support the buying team in building collections that match customer demands. This includes making sure the styles are trendy, wearable, and aligned with what shoppers love. You will work closely with suppliers, designers, and team members to create final products that stand out in stores.

Product Design and Construction

As part of your training, you will learn how clothing items are built from scratch. This includes understanding fabrics, trims, measurements, and basic garment construction. You will use this knowledge to help refine samples and give suggestions to improve product quality and fit.

Trend Awareness with Commercial Thinking

A big part of being a successful Buyer is knowing what trends will sell—not just what looks good. You will learn how to combine creativity with smart business thinking. This means understanding what customers buy more often, which items perform well in stores, and which trends fit the South African lifestyle.

Product Analysis and Supplier Relationships

You will constantly look at how products perform in stores to see what works and what needs improvement. You will also help maintain strong relationships with suppliers, which is a key skill in the buying world. Communication, problem-solving, and negotiation all play a big role here.

Negotiation and Budgeting

Buyers often negotiate prices, delivery dates, and product changes with suppliers. As a trainee, you will begin learning how to negotiate confidently while keeping budgets in mind. Budget management is a critical part of ensuring collections remain profitable and competitive.

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What You Need to Apply

The Trainee Buyer role focuses strongly on creativity and passion for fashion. You will need:

• A creative qualification
• Preferably a fashion diploma or degree
• A strong interest in style, clothing, and design
• Good communication and negotiation skills

When applying, make sure your profile on the Truworths Career Website includes:

• Your CV
• A copy of your ID
• Your Matric certificate
• Your tertiary qualification
• Your academic transcripts

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Who Thrives in This Role

Truworths is looking for people who enjoy creative work, pay close attention to detail, and feel confident expressing ideas. If you always follow the latest trends, know what styles people are wearing, or love piecing together outfits, you will fit in well. The ideal candidate has:

• A passion for fashion and clothing
• Strong negotiation skills
• The ability to analyse trends and think commercially
• The confidence to share creative ideas
• A willingness to learn from experienced buyers

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Where You Will Work

This position is based at the Truworths Head Office in Cape Town, giving you full exposure to the company’s central buying and merchandising operations. Working at head office allows you to learn directly from experts who shape the national product range.