Emil Corsillo

How long have you been a buyer and how did you get into it?
My brother and I have been buying stuff -- and got into it -- since we launched our store Hickoree's in the summer of 2009.

What is your favorite seasonal collection buy of all time?
I'd have to say the Autumn/Winter 2012 Freewheelers collection is our favorite, but it's a close call. We only buy stuff for Hickoree's that we truly adore and are inspired by, so it's hard to choose one brand from one season. Freewheelers is a new brand for us, and we're the only shop that carries it outside of Japan. It's amazing stuff, expensive but justifiably so. They make clothing with such an uncompromisingly intense attention to detail, it's kind of hard to believe it sometimes.

What brand's collection are you looking forward to getting most for SS13?
The same goes for this as the previous question: we're in love with all of these brands, and each season we really look forward to each brand's new stuff with equal excitement. Two brands that knock our socks off every season are Tender Co. and Folk, both based in London. They're just so creative and expressive, you never know what kind of crazy special things they'll come up with each season. 

What advice would you give other buyers just starting out?
Being a buyer is like being an editor. You're not making anything yourself, but you still have a critical role in the outcome of the final product, the final product being the customers' experience. My advice would be to think hard about what your personal, signature aesthetic will be, and be true to that. Come up with a mission statement, or a set of rules that you adhere to, and make your buying decisions within those confines. It's far too easy to just pick from what you see at other shops, and end up with a generic pastiche of cool brands. The goal should be to make something that's greater than the sum of its parts.