don't let the chavs bite

Today’s post will be a bit more jumpy than usual, as I attempt to cover various points in linking the classroom content to the theme of fashion.

I'll start off with discussing the (maybe varying) business models particular high fashion houses employ on the internet.

Of the four business models @acroll discussed in his guest lecture (e-commerce, collaboration, media advertising and productivity-centric sites), the online presence of various couture brands fit into one of the four; even though the goods sold were infinitely more unique, rare and pricey, the high fashion industry still represented the trend of brick and mortar retailers making the shift online and plying their trade there.

At the beginning, the brands focused on using the internet as an advertising medium to spur sales in their brick and mortar boutiques. Gradually (very gradually) some of these brands started to incorporate an actual e-commerce portion to their website, allowing visitors and potential customers to purchase goods online. Some examples include Proenza Schouler and Burberry. In fact, Burberry has taken it one step further and incorporated their e-commerce platform with the live-stream of their runway shows so watchers are able to purchase an item immediately as it is unveiled on the runway.

In fact, Burberry is a perfect example of a high fashion luxury brand that is attempting to move their online presence out of just the usual transactional model. In Fall 2009 the brand launched a stand-alone website The Art of the Trench aimed at replicating the feel of fashion blogs and the trend of street style photographs, asking users to submit pictures of themselves in a classic Burberry trench coat. This represented a branching out from the purely transactional or advertising strategy to one that involved (consumer) collaboration. Obviously, this serves as a brilliant and on-trend/of-the-moment method of engaging the consumers, of advertising to the viewers of the site, and in the end, to spur the sales of the trench coat/Burberry items whether online or offline.