Net-a-Porter Fashion

Net-a-Porter Teams Up with ASMALLWORLD

Online fashion retailer Net-a-Porter will partner with the “invitation only” online community ASMALLWORLD to allow members of the networking site to shop from the latest designer collections, according to PR Newswire. ASMALLWORLD members will be able to enter a Net-a-Porter micro-site showcasing the hottest runway fashions from over 200 brands.

“We are constantly seeking unique ways to inspire and excite our customers and potential customers,” Alison Loehnis, Net-a-Porter’s VP of marketing and sales, told PR Newswire. “For Net-a-Porter the collaboration with such an eminent social network community holds exciting possibilities.”

High-end brands highlighted on the micro-site will include Stella McCartney, Chloe, Fendi and Miu Miu, among others. Los Angeles-native Natalie Massenet launched Net-a-Porter in June 2000, quickly bringing over 200 brands to her online store. Her e-tail site, along with Italian-based Yoox, has virtually reinvented the way consumers shop. Both retailers display ready-to-wear brands – with precise measurements, flashy photos and customer service included.

The sites offer big labels a virtual showroom – without the costs and worries. Fashion labels, therefore, are left to focus on designing. Increasingly major labels are flocking to both sites. Yoox, for example, recently added big-name clients Diesel and Marni. And Net-a-Porter recently announced a deal with Halston to sell lines from fall collection within 48 hours of Halston’s show at New York Fashion Week.

“In the last five years, the consumer is more educated than ever,” Massenet told the Los Angeles Times. “She gets to see the runway shows at the same time as the buyers and editors, yet we are still treating her as if she hasn’t seen them, telling her what’s happened and making her wait six months to buy it in stores.”