Fashion Rich May 09 23/4/09 15:22 Page 1
DRESS CODE
Web wonders
The world of fashion design is
booming. But how does the
consumer keep pace with the
deluge of trends? Na Han
explores the online solution
H
ow quickly things change. In the new, Darwinian
atmosphere of the current economic gloom, even
moderately antiquated technology is like a kiss
from Dr Death. While the strong put on their Googles
and float serenely off into cyberspace, the weak head
for the nearest Windows and dive despairingly for the
street. A clear case of natural selection.
And just as Google represents the next level of
information technology evolution, so internet
commerce – or ‘ecommerce’ – is fast becoming the
dominant species of the retail world. Ever since the
recession took hold, traditional outlets have suffered
double-digit decreases in sales. By contrast, online
retailers are basking in growth of up to 200%. Not
exactly the sort of crisis to turn you grey.
And nowhere is this trend more pertinent than in
the realm of online fashion. For here is a world with
unlimited potential; a trend tailor-made for the
bustling global village; a honeyed gift for
sophisticated consumers longer on taste than
time.
The online fashion leader and bellwether is
the London based Net-A-Porter (www.net-a-
porter.com). Its start-up back in 2001, in the
aftermath of the dotcom bubble, represented a
combination of guts and vision on the part of
its founder, Natalie Massenet.
Today, with a worldwide subscriber base of
150,000 and annual revenue exceeding £60m,
Net-A-Porter sets the industry standard. A
classy, go-to, internet warehouse, it showcases
dozens of choice and pricy brands and
thousands of different styles, satisfying the
quirkiest whims of those accustomed to seeing
a few digits before the decimal point. It is the
very embodiment of the first generation model
of fashion ecommerce: using brand appeal to
sell to the well-heeled the prodigious choice
and convenience of online shopping.
Compare that with Matches, started by Tom
and Ruth Chapman in Wimbledon during the
1980s. With a small number of stores in select
London districts, Matches steadily acquired a
fine reputation as a retailer of fashion products
roughly on a par with those of Net-A-Porter.
Its concomitant internet operation is
www.matchesfashion.com. With its two arms,
Matches exemplifies the second generation
model: building a local clientele through actual
stores, and then offering customers expanded
choice and convenience through the web.
20 www.richmondmagazine.co.uk
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84