Eye on style
Not content with opening a regular e-store, fashion retailers are raising the bar by designing websites based on new concepts as a way to lure in shoppers. One noteworthy site which will go live at the end of the month is shouke.com. The brainchild of Adrienne Ma, ex-president of Joyce boutique and daughter of fashion icon Joyce Ma, the site is similar to US-based gilt.com, which hosts 'pop-up' sales featuring fashion and luxury brands at prices up to 70 per cent off retail. Membership for Shouke is by invitation only and sales will last only three days. Expect a range of luxury products from fashion accessories to homewares from brands such as Chloe at 'alluring' prices.
Also adding an international flavour to online shopping is l-atitude.com, an online portal that allows customers to shop around the world at destinations including Mumbai, Hong Kong, New York and Milan. The site will stock unique items that you can only find by visiting these cities such as Hong Kong brand Among Strangers by local designer Grace Yow.
The site also features a very cool 'blogazine', which virtually transports you to featured destinations, giving customers tips on where to shop, eat, drink and play.
Speaking of online, Burberry Prorsum, the brand that has embraced all things digital, has upped the ante in time for its spring/summer show, which was held last night. While audiences all over world were able to watch the show live at over 300 online portals including blogs and fashion websites, a select number of VIPs will be invited to the store today to watch the show at a custom designed, digitally charged retail theatre. Guests attending the event will be able to place orders straight from the runways through a custom built Burberry i-pad application (left).
Orders will be delivered within seven weeks, which is probably the fastest turnaround the industry has ever seen. Who said fashion was behind the times?
