Fashion lover Paul Cheng Ho-kei enjoys his work as a visual merchandiser with Giordano Group. He says a desk-bound job simply does not suit him. I became a visual merchandiser about two years ago, after working for a few months as an interior and graphic designer. I joined Giordano Concepts a couple of months back. My background is in interior and graphic design, but I have always been interested in fashion. I have always wanted to be part of the fashion industry, but I do not want to go back and start all over again working as a tailor. Visual merchandising is perfect for me. It's an important part of the fashion industry, and at the same time it has a lot to do with my background in interior and graphic design. My work doesn't involve a precise daily routine, apart from liaising and co-ordinating with different departments and inspecting the stores to make sure the items are positioned correctly. This is very important, because visual merchandising is about maintaining a brand or a company's image by arranging products under a theme in a creative setting. Our work is somewhat seasonal. For example, we have to work around a general theme for the fall/winter fashion season. During this season, we rotate our window display every month or so. Window display is a major part of my job. I check with our buyers on what products should be promoted. We come up with ideas on how to highlight the products. Right now, I am working on a window display that comes out this month. In the first two weeks of September, I was coming up with ideas for the window, and in the remaining time last month most of my work was co-ordinating with contractors on the production of props. The window will be ready this month. My working hours are very flexible. Usually I start at 9am and finish around 7 or 8pm. But I work late when the window display has to be changed. We cannot afford to close the stores half a day to dress a new window. So sometimes we can start our work only after the shop has closed for the day. Some of our stores close at midnight, so quite often I have to work until two or three in the morning. In such circumstances, we are allowed to come in to work late the next day. This job suits my personality perfectly. I don't like to sit still in front of a computer monitor. I like moving around and talking to different people. Considering my interest in fashion, visual merchandising is great, because I get to meet a lot of people, from colleagues in various departments to suppliers and contractors. Some of my senior colleagues have moved on to other fields, such as exhibitions or events design. Being a visual merchandiser doesn't mean you stay in one field all your life. You can move around to do different things. But visual merchandising is a great starting point in the fashion industry, and I intend to stay there for a long time.