After studying journalism at the University of Navarra, Mariona Juárez returned to her native Andorra to work in the purchasing department of Viladomat, a sportswear store. A couple of years later she packed her bags again, this time heading to Madrid, to study the FBA, with the idea of, at some point, making the leap to the international market. While studying for her master's degree, she did an internship at the Tendam Group and, when she finished, she moved to Berlin, where she has been working for several months in the Zalando Purchasing department.

If you were already working in the fashion industry, why did you decide to pursue the FBA?

When I started working, I only had a degree in journalism and I saw that, if I wanted to become a buyer in a very large company, I needed much more business knowledge, financial knowledge, negotiation skills, etc. I also aspired to be able to manage a department in a fashion company, and I needed a master's degree that would also give me leadership skills. I think the FBA perfectly encompassed everything I was looking for in my future.

After working for two years, you decided to downgrade your professional category to do an internship at Tendam, was it worth it? What would you say to people who find it difficult to take this step?

When I moved to Madrid to study for my FBA, I had to settle for an internship and not a permanent contract. I wanted to enter the fast fashion industry and Tendam offered me the opportunity. Now I see clearly that it was worth it: I learned from buyers with a lot of experience and I could see how a Spanish fast fashion giant worked, I worked with suppliers from all over the world and it is clear to me that this was what opened doors for me to an international company like the one I am in now. For those who find it hard to take that step, I would tell them not to be afraid; it is a sacrifice in economic terms to have to take an internship, but if it is in the right place and to learn from the position of your dreams, it will be like taking a step back to move forward two.

What has changed in the way you work since you did your master's degree?

I have many more tools that I didn't have before, for example, a much broader vision of the industry. That helps me when it comes to creating collections and negotiating with suppliers. Besides, I think that combining the master's degree with an internship five days a week made me improve a lot in the reorganization of my time, and this is now constantly applied in my work.

What role has ISEM's Careers department played in fulfilling your dream?

It helped me to face my future and to find the job I really wanted: to find an internship in a purchasing department, which is what I most wanted, and to make me see, with all the companies that visited us, the many possibilities we had in the sector, without closing the door to only national companies.

Zalando is now one of the big European partners in online fashion, what would you highlight from your experience working there? What are the main similarities and differences of working in a fashion company in Spain?

The experience has been very rewarding. Having been born as a startup, they have a very open culture and give a lot of responsibilities to people who come in eager to learn and work. It is a very international and young environment and that helps to adapt easily to the company when you arrive from abroad, as was my case. I think the main similarities with Spain are the tasks and responsibilities as a buyer, which is very similar to what I saw in Tendam. However, the German work culture, despite the stereotypes, is much more flexible and helps to reconcile work and personal life, much more than in Spain.