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What does a Costume Buyer do?

The primary responsibility of a costume buyer under Disney Live Entertainment is to have the right costumes at the right place, in the right quantity, and at the right time. Buyers are responsible for placing orders for costume pieces, garments, and accessories and ensuring that delivery dates for products ordered are closely monitored. By achieving this, we are able to create and enrich the experiences of our guests and cast members around the world. Our work can be seen at the Disney theme parks, resort hotels, cruise ships, and numerous other locations around the globe. It is a unique opportunity to be a part of something that creates magic for so many people every day.

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As a Costume Buyer under our Character Programs & Development (CP&D) replenishment team, I purchase various soft goods, hard goods, fabrics, notions, and trims for our character costumes. My main responsibilities in this role include:

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• Facilitating the purchase of raw materials and finished goods for character costume pieces, garments, and accessories that support entertainment offerings around the globe

• Creating purchase orders for domestic and international vendors, managing a high-volume order portfolio while ensuring that delivery dates are closely monitored and met

• Negotiating and effectively communicating daily with large volume external vendors to secure high quality products on time at the lowest possible cost

• Partnering with the costuming logistics team to obtain forms for international orders and shipping as needed

• Reviewing and approving fabric strike-offs to ensure color and quality consistency across all garments

• Replenishing existing products and assisting with new developments as needed

• Building and maintaining strong relationships with outside vendors by setting up vendor WIP meetings on a reoccurring basis

• Collaborating with the inventory planning team to establish order timelines based on a vendor’s capability, capacity, and current production schedule

• ​Working closely with hourly union cast members on tasks such as sending fabric, notions, garment samples, and tech packs to external vendors for production and solving any quality assurance issues once products are delivered to the warehouse

• Partnering with key collaborators to ensure costume quality is maintained

• Tracking and clearing blocked invoices​