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Fashion 2.0 | Still waiting for the future
About a year ago, I posted an article entitled, Fashion 2.0: What the Future Holds, laying out some thoughts (and questions) on the future of luxury and fashion online. Since then, Fashion 2.0 has been one of the most discussed topics on The Business of Fashion, and the ensuing debate has been thought-provoking, largely due to the high level of engagement from the BoF community. The latest example of this is from Annie Chang, who posted this delightful YouTube video response to our first Fashion 2.0 post, demonstrating the convenience of shopping from the comfort of one’s living room. Thanks Annie.
Over the past year, I’ve continued to argue for the potential to sell luxury online, and more controversially, to use the Internet as a tool for communicating and engaging customers. I spoke to JC Report and the South China Morning Post about the growing influence of fashion blogs and wrote an article in the Financial Times on Fashion 2.0, using the example of the wildly successful Mini Cooper online community as a compelling case study for where things may go.
But, has anything really changed in the meantime?
Well, things are going gangbusters for some brands and bricks-and-mortar retailers. London boutique Browns, for example, is experiencing rapid growth of their online business and apparently, Courtney Love recently placed a £15,000 order on the Browns site. eLuxury, one of the first movers into online luxury retail, has just done an extensive revamp of their site and, in recent months, Prada, Boucheron, Emporio Armani, and others have jumped into the online fray.
But for some, not a lot changed. Marc Jacobs has no online store. Neither do Dolce & Gabbana, Cartier, Versace or Chanel. Selfridges, one of the UK’s most prestigious high-end department stores, still sells absolutely nothing online. What are they waiting for?
Harvey Nichols and Harrods, two other UK luxury stores with international profiles, seem to have expanded their online assortment somewhat, but many of their most expensive (and covetable) items are still only available in store. This is a missed opportunity when successful online retailers like Neiman Marcus and Net-a-Porter report that it is precisely these uber-luxe items that are the sites’ fastest sellers.
Finally, we are still waiting for the first major luxury brand to create an online community of their most loyal brand evangelists. Who will be first to take the plunge? Our money is on Gucci, which has been amongst the most forward thinking of the luxury brands when it comes to the online space. What do you think?
nice video. :D
Well written article, and I agree entirely. Thank you for your fresh point of view. Keep up the good work.
What’s interesting to me is inviting consumers to *participate* in the insider world of fashion in a way that intrigues and empowers, but also ensures the beauty of the finished product. My money is on Karl Lagerfeld. 70 iPods aside, his flair for the new seems to be finding its way into Chanel’s online marketing strategies. The Coco Mademoiselle campaign, for example, wasn’t quite 2.0, but it offered compelling interactive content and, by harnessing bloggers, fostered online dialogue in a smart and portable way. Speaking of Chanel, what do you think of Zaha Hadid’s Mobile Art container? I think it’s an inspired way to advertise.
While shopping online may be a practical thing, nothing beats the feeling of walking into a luxury shop. Colors and texture are not the same online as when you can actually feel it. Just my opinion.
@Vikram: Chanel is an interesting choice, and they have certainly been doing some experimenting, most notably on Squa.re, with their Coco Mademoiselle campaign. But given that they still don’t have an online shop, I wonder whether they will actually take the plunge first. We will see. P.S. — I love Zaha Hadid, and think the collaboration with Chanel is very cool and eye-catching. @Lewis: I agree that shopping online and shopping in-store are two very different things. I can see a role for both types of shopping in the fashion industry going forward, where the bricks-and-mortar stores are more about the experience, and the online stores are more about gathering information and convenience.
what would you have to say to someone trying to create a competitor, for my thesis in marketing & advertising, to the “guru” net-a-porter?
I find this baffling. When NAP have been going successfully since, what, 1998? why are others so slow off the mark? Harvey Nichols is now selling online but only small things like wallets and sunglasses, ditto House of Fraser. Liberty keeps hinting it will start selling online but again, I think it’s restricted to accessories. Burberry sells clothing online and I understand Alexander McQueen (part of the Gucci Group) has big plans for online selling. Why is it taking everyone else so long?
In the era of online fashion magazines, a fast growing fashion blogosphere, and fashion networks such as Iqons.com, the alleged contradiction of computers and creativity commonly argued by the designers of the high fashion industry such as Karl Lagerfeld stating “I don’t use a computer; I do research with my brain”, appears to have become quite old-fashioned. In fact, high fashion houses’ reluctance to the emerging online culture just seems all too reminiscent of houses such as Isaac Mizrahi failing to recognize the commercialization of fashion during the 1990s. Then Mizrahi, when begged by retail buyers to repeat one of his few best-sellers – paper-bag-waist pants- refused to reissue them simply saying “I just got bored with them”. Not least proven by rocketing online sales of Net-a-porter and the likes, the growing interactivity of the Internet is undoubtedly provoking a shift in the marketplace, which offers a variety of innovative but still largely unexplored possibilities. I am therefore currently investigating the potential opportunities of blogs and online social networks for high fashion businesses for my Thesis actually titled ‘Fashion 2.0′ at La Salle Business and Engineering School in Barcelona, Spain. For anyone who would like to contribute to assessing the prospects for Web 2.0 and high fashion, here is the link to a brief online survey in this context: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ZHjFkYoIG87MGwbu9jZSjQ_3d_3d Hopefully, studies like mine will help to make ‘Fashion 2.0′ a reality rather than a virtually too avant-garde concept. And, I am getting in on the bet on Gucci to pioneer a branded online community. Although now lacking the charismatic guidance of Ford and De Sole and the current problematic economic conditions notwithstanding , under the leadership of Gucci Group’s smart CEO Robert Polet, I am confident that the brand will prove the case for its innovativeness when it comes to the business of fashion.
@Matthew, I agree with you about Karl Lagerfeld as someone pushing the boundaries creatively online. I think a good example is his recent involvement in the recent GTA4 launch as one of the radio DJs. Whilst not pushing any commercial message, as an iconic piece of marketing and promotion online it’s brilliant. Nearly everyone who is playing GTA4 I know has explicitly mentioned that as one of the best parts, including friends working at Shanghai Tang here in Hong Kong. It may be these types of little things in addition to the solid performance of http://www.net-a-porter.com and others that helps persuade some of the others to start making moves.
“While shopping online may be a practical thing, nothing beats the feeling of walking into a luxury shop. ” – Lewis
I look at it from an urban design prospective. The large mall that is only accessible by automobile is so anonymous and isolating. From traffic to the parking garage, driving is an unpleasant experience. No wonder people turn to the internet for shopping.
I imagine the demand is growing for commercial development in walkable, bike-friendly, and transit-accessible neighborhoods.