runway to checkout

[christianef]

continuing from the LVR discussion:

http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/burberry-runway-to-checkout/

[sam_tem]

finally some evolution in the fashion industry. i think the whole show now and sell 6 months later was always pretty dumb and i applaud these companies for trying to tweak their businesses to find better revenue streams.

if they plan on doing this though, then they really do need to broadcast the runway shows online.

[Faust]

No, it's not dumb - it's smart, especially for the womens calendar. of course if you want to buy your heavy wool coats after the shows in march and store them for the summer, or buy tanktops in October, by all means. Surprised that ms. Horyn did not mention the obvious reason for it, the race against knock-offs.

The whole thing is sad, because it puts pressure on smaller designers to do the same - which is awful for their creativity.

[Fuuma]

No, it's not dumb - it's smart, especially for the womens calendar. of course if you want to buy your heavy wool coats after the shows in march and store them for the summer, or buy tanktops in October, by all means. Surprised that ms. Horyn did not mention the obvious reason for it, the race against knock-offs.

The whole thing is sad, because it puts pressure on smaller designers to do the same - which is awful for their creativity.

+1, Burberry has its own stores and a large volume. Small designers have things produced according to orders. Basically you only feel like you're waiting because the fashion show is public; if it was just the showrooms visits then orders then production then runway show no one would try to make that dumb point....

[sam_tem]

but fashion has always been for those with disposable incomes and these people are the most prone to impulse shopping. this allows designers to better tap into that impulse. it's also a global business now, so the typically defined "season" is irrelevant and will continue to break down more so as we see greater wealth distribution throughout the world. i can wear tank tops in the dead of winter and others can wear coats in the middle of summer.

it may put smaller designers at a disadvantage but they will find a way to adapt or to better contain their select market. this is just basic business and there's no need to create barriers for the consumer to protect smaller designers. it may disadvantage them, but great clothes will still get made just as great works still exist in all other creative industries. d

on't mean to be antagonizing but i read a hint of protectionism in your statement and there are many dangers when you mix that with business. i suppose i just don't see it as that big of a danger against smaller designers as you do as i would tend to think they largely operate in different .....cultural markets so to say.

[Fuuma]

but fashion has always been for those with disposable incomes and these people are the most prone to impulse shopping. this allows designers to better tap into that impulse. it's also a global business now, so the typically defined "season" is irrelevant and will continue to break down more so as we see greater wealth distribution throughout the world. i can wear tank tops in the dead of winter and others can wear coats in the middle of summer.

it may put smaller designers at a disadvantage but they will find a way to adapt or to better contain their select market. this is just basic business and there's no need to create barriers for the consumer to protect smaller designers. it may disadvantage them, but great clothes will still get made just as great works still exist in all other creative industries. d

on't mean to be antagonizing but i read a hint of protectionism in your statement and there are many dangers when you mix that with business. i suppose i just don't see it as that big of a danger against smaller designers as you do as i would tend to think they largely operate in different .....cultural markets so to say.

You don't get it; clothes still need to be designed, seen and bought by store buyers and then produced. All Burberry did was move the moment the runway show happens (i.e. they still had to design and produce clothes, they just showed them later than they would usually do). Well that's not really true, in reality they just have the capacity to produce before showing to buyers because they're a big company and can probably get shit made quickly. If people want clothes to be available at the same time as they're seen on the runway all you need is to have runway shows 6months later (i.e. SS becomes FW) but keep the buying at the same time it is now.

[sam_tem]

i get it in some ways, but notably this is a step closer to removing the "seen and bought by store buyers steps" that you mention thus speeding up the cycle and putting more control into the hands of the consumer. there is still the kink of how the consumer experiences the feel and fit of the clothing, but i'm sure lenient return policies will make this a non-factor for many.

You don't get it; clothes still need to be designed, seen and bought by store buyers and then produced. All Burberry did was move the moment the runway show happens (i.e. they still had to design and produce clothes, they just showed them later than they would usually do).

edit: more to what i'm thinking, if a designer designs a coat they like in december and can find a market interested in buying it and have it delivered directly from the designer in June (say Buenos Aires) then more power to them. this means designers don't have to adhere the whole idea of seasonal collections, the two can coexist.

i would very much prefer to be able to have more of a direct connection to a designer than through a store as there are no stores that stock these designers within a few thousand miles of me (i don't have a clue of actual distances) anyhow.

[christianef]

rads not really a big company. and he seems to be at the forefront here so i guess its possible. we'll see.