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Nothing beats a bit of retail therapy while on vacation, especially if it involves shopping a line of bespoke luxury bags exclusive to a particular destination or region.

As borders around the world slowly start to reopen and traveling for leisure picks up again, one luxury resort chain has come up with a brilliant idea to provide its guests with the opportunity to bring home a bespoke memento that cannot be purchased anywhere else in the world....

One&Only Resorts is celebrating the art of travel by teaming up with Louis Vuitton and artist Jay Ahr to launch an exclusive collection of unique LV Keepalls only available at its resort destinations.

The resort chain's various locations will each boast a different version of the bag, embroidered with the Belgium-born Hong Kong-based artist signature style.

One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives

The bespoke designs are all inspired by the local heritage of each destination where the resort is located, reflecting the unique spirits of the country and regional culture.

One&Only Le Saint Géran, Mauritius

Every country where there is a One&Only Resort will have a bag showcasing the national flag or passport available for purchase at its respective location.

One&Only Gorilla's Nest, Rwanda

Jay Ahr will also be designing a capsule collection that includes a luggage tag, travel pouch and tote bags unique to each resort. All items will be sold exclusively at One&Only resorts around the world, including the One&Only Royal Mirage and One&Only The Palm.

One&Only Royal Mirage, Dubai

Interested in snagging one of the limited edition LV Keepalls for yourself? Visit oneandonlyresorts.com for more information on how you can shop the entire range.

Images supplied by prco.com

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You Can Now Shop Exclusive Items From Louis Vuitton At This Luxury Resort

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Nothing beats a bit of retail therapy while on vacation, especially if it involves shopping a line of bespoke luxury bags exclusive to a particular destination or region.

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A new study is out that sets the stage for a radically transformed luxury market by 2025. Millennials are driving this train, and what they expect from luxury brands is radically different from previous generations. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be bumpy ride into 2025.

The study, produced by two powerhouses in luxury circles, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Altagamma, completes their sixth annual survey covering more than 12,000 respondents in ten leading countries, with an oversampling of consumers in the United States and China, the world's two largest markets for luxury brands.

All told, the survey taps the perspectives of luxury consumers in roughly 85% of the total global luxury market. "We qualified our sample to include only what we called 'True-Luxury' purchasers," Sarah Willersdorf, partner and managing director at BCG, told me. "To qualify for the survey, consumers had to meet a threshold of spending so that they were real consumers of luxury goods and services, and did not just have high levels of household income."

For example, consumers had to spend a minimum of €5,000 (about $5,600) in total on personal luxury goods over the past 12 months with threshold levels of spend set for specific categories, such as €1,000 for handbags, €350 for shoes and €250 for jeans.

Overall the surveyed consumers averaged €39,000 (about $44,000) in total luxury spending. That qualifies as "true luxury" in my book.
Luxury market size and scope today and tomorrow
In 2018 the luxury market is reported to have reached €920 billion (~$1 trillion), of which €330 billion (~$370 billion) was in personal luxury goods and €590 billion (~$660 billion) was for experiential luxury, such as dining, hotels, cruise/resorts, wine and spirits, design furniture, lighting, cars, boats and smartphones/tablets.

The global luxury market is predicted to top €1.3 trillion (~$1.5 trillion) by 2025 , with experiential luxury growing about 5%, far faster than personal luxury at 3%, with accessories and cosmetics expected to gain the most from 2018-2025.

Today Millennials, those born from 1978-1992, represent only about 32% of spending in the personal luxury market, but by 2025 they are expected to make up 50% of the total market . Some 130% of market growth in the next seven years will be attributed to the Millennial generation. Note: the birth years defining the generational cohorts in this study differ slightly from that common in U.S. demographic analysis.

But Willersdorf advises that the younger Gen-Z cohort (1993-2001) will have a strong influence on how fast and deep the changes in the luxury market evolve, yet they remain a mystery to many luxury brands.

"Today Gen-Z represents only about 4% of the true-luxury market, but we can't underestimate them because of their low-purchase rate," she says. "By 2020 we estimate that they will drive 8% of true-luxury spend. But more than that, they have a powerful influence in the market and have a different set of values and ideals than even the Millennials."
Three trends, three opportunities and challenges
Given BCG/Altagamma's six-year perspective on the true-luxury market, the report identifies six previously transformational trends that have stabilized. They are well established in the market and will remain part of the luxury business model, notably omnichannel distribution, mono-brand stores, made-in/country-of-origin authenticity, high-low/mix-and-match flexibility, customization and shopper tourism.

Further, four other trends are on the rise and will continue to drive demand, including the luxury of casualwear, the influence of "influencers" on consumer preferences, social media engagement and online sales, which has reached over 20% penetration as the "place" of consumers' last purchase.

But Willersdorf and I focused our discussion on the following three most transformational trends, which are going to pick up pace from now until then. Because they are a radical departure from the traditional ways luxury brands operate, these trends need to be on everyone's radar:
Collaborations make for strange bedfellows
Millennials are demanding that luxury brands look beyond their four walls and the traditional designers that work there for new ideas and interpretations of luxury.

"Collaborations are key to the new luxury," Willersdorf says. "Millennials are looking for innovation in design, along with unique collections that reflect their individuality and values."

Such collaborations, often presented in limited editions and timed drops, are most in demand in handbags (purchased by 47% of true-luxury consumers surveyed) and sneakers (33%). The most popular pairings combine luxury and streetwear, including Louis Vuitton and Supreme, Adidas and Kanye West's Yeezy, and Chanel and Pharrell.

Willersdorf also notes that luxury brands are creating more lasting relationships with cutting-edge, youth-inspired designers, like Rihanna and her new Fenty Maison with LVMH and Virgil Abloh, men's wear design director for Louis Vuitton.

Collaborations are all about the young, with 60% of Millennials reporting any such purchases, compared with 40% Gen-X (1963-1977) and only 20% of Baby Boomers (1946-1962).
Stigma comes off second-hand luxury
While the second-hand personal luxury goods market is small-€22 billion (~$25 billion)-its influence on the primary market way outpaces its dollar value.

Overall 44% of consumers surveyed say they consider the resale value of new items they purchase, with 50% of Millennials thinking long term to a much greater extent than Gen-Xers (35%) or Boomers (24%). And the report also notes that only 34% of those surveyed actually consign goods with second-hand sellers, which suggests a further opportunity for segment growth.

Of note, the U.S. is the leading country for secondary luxury goods, with 50% participating in it either as a buyer (18%) or seller (11%) only or both (21%). China, on the other hand, is primarily a sell market (26%), with only 5% buying second-hand and 12% selling and purchasing. Some 57% of Chinese consumers don't participate in the secondary market.

Overall 45% of true-luxury consumers participated in the second-hand luxury market, and more than one-fourth (26%) have bought pre-owned goods.

"Second-hand luxury is rapidly becoming mainstream," Willersdorf says. "And it is not just the lower price that attracts these true-luxury consumers. It is often the only way they can buy scarce, limited-edition, special sold-out collaborations missed the first time or vintage items."

The most in-demand pre-owned brands are Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Burberry and Dior. Further, 40% of all pre-owned purchases are handbags, followed by clothing (16%) and small leather goods (13%).

To keep the primarily online secondary marketers, like top-ranked Vestiaire Collective and Vinted, supplied with products, consumers are driven by the desire to empty out their wardrobes and to finance new purchases. But growing in importance are concerns about sustainability and the desire to be responsible consumers.
The sustaining power of sustainability
Since 2013 luxury consumers' purchase decisions have shifted dramatically by their concerns about sustainability and social responsibility.

Today 56% of true-luxury consumers are attuned to luxury brands' stance on social responsibility, as compared with 45% in 2013. Some 62% say they will choose to do business with a brand that supports sustainability over a brand that does not, compared with 50% in 2013.

Interestingly, sustainability concerns are far greater for South Koreans (81%), the Japanese (70%), Chinese (66%) and French (66%) than it is for Americans (45%) or the British (43%).

The sustainable luxury consumers are primarily concerned with the environment (37%), animal care (27%) and ethical manufacturing (21%). Millennials place a higher priority on the environment (42%) and animal treatment (26%), than do Boomers whose primary concern is ethical manufacturing (32%).

"Sustainability will continue to advance in importance," Willersdorf explains. "It will feed both the secondary-luxury market as well as give a lift to limited-run collaborations which show a brand's respect for not flooding the market with too much merchandise."
Gen-Z as the next luxury generation is all-in on these trends and more
As we concluded our discussion, Willersdorf warned against luxury brands overlooking the next-generation consumers, as they might have underestimated the influence of Millennials a decade ago, when they still hadn't reached scale as true-luxury consumers.

Generational shifts are hard to adapt to, and this coming one that will be brought about by the Gen-Zs will magnify the trends driven by Millennials and at the same time be different from them. "Gen-Z have a unique set of behaviors and values. They purchase collaborations more (67% versus the average of 50%) and they are more influenced by sustainability and more active in the second-hand luxury market than average," she asserts.

She also points to Gen-Z's preference for mixing-and-matching and purchasing high-low. Some 56% of Gen-Zs have partially shifted spending from traditional luxury brands to premium, fast-fashion, niche and sports brands, as compared with 52% of Millennials and 46% of true-luxury consumers overall.

"As these brands, which we call 'aspirational,' become better quality and more sustainable, traditional luxury brands will have to get even better faster to stay in the lead," Willersdorf explains.

Gen-Zs are also more profoundly influenced by influencers on social media, notably Chiara Ferragni, who ranked on Forbes List of Top Fashion Influencers 2017 and among the BCG/Altagamma top three influencers in this survey across all geographies.

Ferragni also aligns with the collaboration trend having done capsule collections with Gucci. In addition, she has launched her own niche brand available online and in more than 350 stores worldwide, with flagship stores in Milan and Shanghai.

And finally, with many Gen-Zs still living at home, they are influencing the purchases of their trailing-edge Boomer and Gen-Xer parents."Brands need to pay close attention to the Gen-Zs as influencers for the future," Willersdorf concludes.
See also: What The LVMH-Rihanna Partnership Means For The Luxury Market See also: 4 Mega-Trends Ahead For The Luxury Market In 2019: Expect Turmoil And Slowing Sales
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3 Ways Millennials And Gen-Z Consumers Are Radically Transforming The Luxury Market

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A new study is out that sets the stage for a radically transformed luxury market by 2025. Millennials are driving this train, and what they expect from luxury brands is radically different from previous generations. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be bumpy ride into 2025.

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A sampling of items customers added to their Net-a-Porter shopping carts on a recent 9 a.m. EST

The thing people always talk about first, when they are talking about Net-a-Porter, is the packaging. For a company known for being on the leading edge of online fashion, it is surprisingly anachronistic: The black, beribboned bags that arrive, brimming with tissue paper and the promise of a life-changing ensemble, could just as easily have been delivered by uniformed footman to Eloise's Plaza as summoned via the internet into the one inhabited by Russian oligarchs. "It's like getting a present," the company's president, Natalie Massenet, likes to say, which sounds whimsical but isn't. Elaborate packaging is integral to the Net-a-Porter brand. It was central to Massenet's vision when she started the company in her apartment in 1999, on the premise that good old-fashioned luxury and the utilitarian promise of the internet need not be mutually exclusive, and has remained so even as the company has expanded to become one of the leading players of global e-commerce.

"I love the personalized label," a fashion blogger commented to Toby Bateman on a Wednesday evening in July. Bateman is the head buyer for Net-a-Porter's men's site, Mr. Porter, where $2,600 Missoni sweaters and $25 vintage pencil sets arrive in boxes on which the customer's name is written in elaborate script. "How do you do that?"

Bateman took a sip of his Champagne. The company was celebrating, as it often is. On this night, the party was in conjunction with a new vendor, shoemaker Harrys of London, which has an outpost in the Burlington Arcade, a cobblestoned alley lined with 19th-century shopfronts that had been transformed for the evening into the site of an alfresco dinner party. At 60 degrees, the evening air was balmy for London and tingled with the smell of expensive aftershave. Handmade paper mobiles by artist Zoe Bradley twirled above the dinner table, which was set with fresh flowers, place cards for 100, and menus promising cuisine from a Michelin-starred chef. Waiters passed plates heaped with delicately sliced prosciutto among guests that included an actor whose character had been killed off on Game of Thrones and a member of Irish pop band Boyzone. But the journalists in attendance were focused on Bateman. "We said, If we wanted to do this, how would we go about it?" he recalled about asking members of the tech team, who, he said, were used to above-and-beyond requests. They quickly came back with a solution, although it involved buying a specialized printer for each desk where packages were wrapped. "We asked, Should we do it? I mean, it's really expensive." Bateman shrugged in bemusement. The journalists chuckled.

"Now you are going to be getting those long, multisyllabic Thai names," one of them pointed out, referring to the upcoming merger with the Italian e-commerce company Yoox, which is expected to help grow Net-a-Porter's market in Asia.

"Yes," Bateman said, looking down into his Champagne glass, which was empty.

Back in March, after its parent company, the Swiss luxury retailer Richemont, announced it had struck a deal to merge the site with its rival at a $1.5 billion valuation and in exchange for half of the combined company, Net-a-Porter did its best to make it seem like cause for celebration. It wasn't losing a family; it was gaining a new one. "Today, we open the doors to the world's biggest luxury-fashion store," Massenet said in a press release that noted she would be staying on as chairman while Federico Marchetti, Yoox's founder, took over the role of CEO. "Together, with our world-class teams in technology, logistics, content, and commerce, we are redefining the fashion media and retail landscape."

There was a Brady Bunch sort of symmetry to the match. The companies had started at the same time. They did pretty much the same thing - selling designer clothes on the internet - but they were in some ways polar opposites: Yoox is known primarily as a discount shop, one that sells end-of-season stock on a bare-bones website and uses its technology to run back-end operations for brands like Armani. Net-a-Porter is a mainly full-price site for which selling stuff can sometimes seem incidental to creating beautiful editorial content. For all the talk of togetherness, it was unclear how the companies would get along. But if there was any doubt about who was going to be in charge, Marchetti cleared it up during a "Lunch With the FT" interview this spring: There is one boss, the Italian CEO said while deboning his fish, "and that's me."

Since then, there has been an undercurrent of anxiety within Net-a-Porter about what awaits the staff in October, when the merger is expected to close, and how such an haute-couture company will take to being marketed to the masses. At the moment, they're drinking Champagne while they can. "Should we get another?" Bateman asked.

The Champagne was still fizzing from the last dot-com boom when Massenet launched Net-a-Porter. Growing up in Los Angeles as Natalie Rooney, the daughter of a Chanel model and Hollywood publicist, she'd dreamed of becoming a magazine editor, and in her 20s she landed in London at Condé Nast's Tatler, working as an assistant to stylist Isabella Blow and ascending to senior fashion editor. Tatler, which mainly covered the doings of London's "It" girls, was not an end goal: Massenet had a vision for new kind of fashion magazine. "A global fashion magazine" on the web, according to her then-colleague Lucy Yeomans, one that would take service a step further by helping people buy the things they read about online. Frustrated by Condé Nast's disinterest in the internet, and turned down for a job at Vogue, Massenet struck out on her own. Using £1.2 million cobbled together from her then-husband, the French investment banker Arnaud Massenet, and a group of friends, she created Net-a-Porter. "At her kitchen table," goes the lore, although the domesticity of that detail feels, again, a little too whimsical when you look at the results.

At the time, luxury brands had little interest in selling their wares online. The prevailing sentiment was that designer clothes did not belong in a marketplace known for trafficking primarily in electronics and porn. But Massenet managed to convince several designers, including Bottega Veneta and Anya Hindmarch, to trust her with their precious names. In an industry where charm is in short supply, Massenet is known for being "nice."

More important, she was known for her good taste, and Net-a-Porter, as she conceived it, was a tasteful website. The selection of clothing is not aggregated by an algorithm but lovingly chosen by someone with authority and style. The clothes are presented on models, styled and shot by professionals, and the editorial content has the same aspirational, transportive qualities as that in fashion magazines. ("The elegant red sleeve folder they are presented in is also upcycled," it says of the vintage pencils, "from cardboard that is 50 to 60 years old.") The setup was comforting and familiar, both to designers, who were protective of their brands, and to consumers, who appreciated the sense of order in an otherwise-ragtag marketplace. "It's so easy to navigate; you can look by designer, by size, by color," says Leah Chernikoff, the online editorial director for Elle. "You feel taken care of. Hey, Ruthie," she calls to a member of her team. "When do you look at Net-a-Porter? First thing in the morning, right?" Right.

"They were all packaged like presents," Christian Louboutin once recalled of when he first saw Net-a-Porter's signature black bags materialize at the home of Daphne Guinness. In 2002, Net-a-Porter sold out of 50 $1,000 Chloé bags, and Chloé's parent company, Richemont, made its first investment in the site. This helped the company weather the dot-com bust that took "e-tailers" like boo.com and LVMH 's eluxury.com off the map.

Being located an ocean away may have helped, too. Europe was slower to embrace the internet than the U.S., which meant the reverberations from the dot-com bust were less traumatic and the playing field less crowded with established players; there was an opportunity for start-ups to gain a foothold. London is now also home to Asos, a purveyor of trendy, lower-priced clothing; Matches, which is not unlike Net-a-Porter; and Farfetch, which sources its goods from a network of small boutiques. In Germany, there's MyTheresa. And in Italy, there's Yoox, which Marchetti, a former investment banker, named in part because it is easy to pronounce in China.

"Proximity" - not just to fashion houses in Europe but also to customers "in the rest of the world" - was another crucial reason behind European e-tailers' success, says Chris Morton, who worked for a venture-capital firm that invested in Yoox and then, watching it take off, founded Lyst, an e-commerce platform that aggregates other sites' sales. While businesses in the United States were struggling with how to sell to people in their own backyard, he points out, the European sites were snapping up global shipping rights and figuring out the necessary Customs procedures to sell everywhere else. When the market started to come back, they were well positioned to take advantage of it.

Both Yoox and Net-a-Porter quickly became forces to be reckoned with. Marchetti proved to be as persuasive as Massenet in getting brands on the web, although his selling point was more tech savvy than taste: Though luxury houses weren't as impressed by Yoox's aesthetics, they were intrigued by the company's access to consumer data, as well as its ability to run their online operations. (In exchange for this service, Yoox takes a little over a quarter of sales.)

Meanwhile, Massenet, with her rusty-red bob, Mid-Atlantic accent, and eye for fashion, was like an Anna Wintour 2.0, the new person designers needed to impress. "She quickly became someone people watch," says Julie Gilhart, the longtime buyer for Barneys, who now works as a consultant for luxury brands. "I remember seeing her at Paris Fashion Week one year, it was right after the iPad came out, and she was taking pictures and writing on it and sending them. And I was thinking, That really looks kind of uncool that you have this iPad. But then the pictures would be on Net-a-Porter, like, instantly, and meanwhile I was, like, fumbling with my point-and-shoot, and I felt like a Beverly Hillbilly."

Massenet was no longer interested in being a mere editor-in-chief. She had bigger, global aspirations, as indicated by the name she gave to the London warehouse where Net-a-Porter housed its goods: Distribution Centre One. In 2007, Net-a-Porter opened Distribution Centre Two, as well as an office, in New York. Three years later, eager to expand more, she and a group of early investors agreed to sell a majority stake in the company to Richemont. The deal, which valued the company at $533 million, netted Massenet what the Guardian estimated to be $76 million - enough to retire to a private island. Instead, she stayed on as executive chairman and invested $23 million back into her company, which allowed her to retain a small stake against Richemont's 93 percent. Not long after, Net-a-Porter opened Distribution Centre Three, in Hong Kong, and moved its headquarters to spacious new offices in London, where it held a tenth-anniversary party at which guests sipped margaritas (Massenet's favorite) and subtly ogled Victoria Beckham.

Natalie Massenet with ... Clockwise, from top left: Jenna Lyons, Anna Wintour, Michael Kors, Donatella Versace, Victoria Beckham, Diane von Furstenberg, Tom Ford, and Alexander Wang. Photo: Duffy Marie Arnoult/Dave M. Benett/Mike Marsland/BFANYC/Getty Images for Net-A-Porter/WireImage/Getty Images

Ascending the elevator to Net-a-Porter's London office is a surreal experience, not just because it is located inside the Westfield mall, a high-end shopping center full of the kind of brick-and-mortar stores Net-a-Porter might put out of business, but because it is decorated in exactly the same way as every other Net-a-Porter office in the world. Even the distribution centers have the same black-and-white color scheme, the same white leather couches and glittering chandeliers, the same half-stairway, half-bleachers area where employees gather for announcements and pick up their own Net-a-Porter orders, and, this summer, the same television playing something called Net-a-Porter TV, on which the same stylist exhorted visitors to "make Roman sandals a part of your look."

It's a world not unlike a high-end hotel chain, which is the point: "I wanted to make sure that the whole company was unified, like you were opening one door from one office space and then entering another one," explained Massenet, who was sitting in a glass conference room one day last month, crisply attired in a white shirt that contrasted elegantly with her black leather chair. "The wall treatments are meant to be a nod to a Parisian apartment, and the chandeliers are there to balance out the tech aspects of our business, because I believe in yin-and-yang balance," she went on. "This is a business about fashion, but we're also about service and technology, so there's not one without the other."

Massenet herself exhibits this duality. Even though she's now a kingpin, she's still known for being nice. As British Fashion Council president, she instituted a practice of making sure every table at gala events has its own bottle of tequila. She was an inspiration for the summer beach read The Knockoff, in which a fashion-magazine editor triumphs in the tech world by virtue of her humanity. "She is lovely," a former employee, who does not view others in the company as kindly and therefore did not want to be named, told me. "You can literally email her, and she will email you back. She doesn't believe in having a separate office, she wants to hear about everything. She is active at every company event, she stays the whole time, she will come and dance on the floor."

But beneath this accessible, perfectly groomed exterior lie layers of sophisticated code. Talking about how Net-a-Porter jettisoned its website template when it launched Mr. Porter in 2011, because it "didn't want to be encumbered by the old ways of thinking," Massenet fully inhabits the role of tech-company founder. "Oh, it was probably Natalie" is the thing people at the company say when you ask where the idea for some detail originated, like the ticker at the bottom of the site's home page that tells you what the world is buying right now. (No matter where, sales spike at night: "Wine o'clock," they call it.) Or the Net Set, a social platform with Pinterest-like photos and a Shazam-like function that lets you take a picture of, say, someone's shoes and find a similar pair to purchase. ("I told the mobile team that I wanted them to come up with something that would replace Net-a-Porter," Massenet told me. "Something that showed me in real time what was happening and let me find it." That was her directive, she said, laughing: "Show me. Find.") She's also the one who came up with the idea to film a good-bye video for retiring CEO Mark Sebba - featuring a live gospel choir, acrobats, costumed dancers, a mariachi band, a Chinese dragon, Scottish bagpipes, and thousands of employees doing a synchronized dance - that went viral last year.

Sebba has not been replaced. At the moment, Net-a-Porter is being run by Massenet and Alison Loehnis, another formidably toned and well-accessorized American expatriate, who, like Massenet, is pretty much the embodiment of the Net-a-Porter customer. Internally, this customer is known as She. Data and market research indicate She is "38 years old," says Stephanie Phair, who runs the Outnet, the company's discount site. "She travels six to nine times a year for leisure. She's very fashion-forward. She wants it first. And she lives all over the place." (He, the Mr. Porter customer, is essentially the same person, only more interested in analog writing utensils.)

The company bends over backward to service Them, providing same-day delivery in Hong Kong, New York, and London, and seasonally in the Hamptons. There are special sales for EIPs (Extremely Important People). Occasional collections are tailored to their needs, like this spring's " Ramadan Edit" for the Shes of the Middle East. A squad of personal shoppers headed by Lupe Puerta, a globe-trotting former shopgirl from Vivienne Westwood, stocks the virtual carts of women from San Francisco to Moscow, most of whom they never physically lay eyes on. "Some of them send pictures," said Puerta, who one day this summer was sitting in a Bridgehampton hotel room that her department had transformed into a Net-a-Porter "Style Suite," so customers could interact with the brand and order clothes on an iPad if they felt like it. At noon, a pair of waiters wordlessly swapped out the untouched croissants for tea sandwiches and re-iced the Champagne.

In February, Net-a-Porter hired Sarah Rutson, the British fashion director for the Hong Kong department-store chain Lane Crawford, to be its vice-president of global buying. Tall, beanpole skinny, and charmingly batty, Rutson is revered by street-style aficionados for her ability to put together an outfit, which she says she finds absurd. "Look, I have been around 30 years," she told me one day in London, talking a mile a minute, her blonde hair flapping into her face as she walked to the Pain Quotidien downstairs from the office. "I am one of the best in the business. I'm a left and a right brain and I am a businesswoman with vision and an opinion leader and one that's respected. And you know, it's lovely that people think I dress well, but the financial portfolio I'm running" - she patted the large sheaf of spreadsheets she had been carrying around under the arm - "I could stand very happily with some men on Wall Street. But it's 'I love Gucci, it's so glamorous, you get to go to runway shows.' Yeah, I do, that's fine. But that's actually the bit that drags the time. You can't get to this level going, 'Well, I really love pink and I really love a poppy shoe.' "

Though she admitted you do have to have a certain instinct. "History can tell you so much about the life cycle of a brand, and then you go into a showroom and you're like, You know what? This collection is gonna do it. And that is my job to say, 'I don't care if we've had a rubbish sell-through for five seasons in a row. It doesn't matter, we're gonna pile in money.' "

Rutson's mandate is to increase sales in Asia and the United States, so the pressure is on for her bets to be scrupulously correct. "It's exciting, it's extraordinary," she says. "But oh my God, the pressure. "

"Do you go on that Net-a-Porter?" Jerry Seinfeld asked Julia Louis-Dreyfus on an episode of his web show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee in June. "I thought so," he said, nodding. "All you good-taste girls love that." The exchange, which ended with Louis-Dreyfus calling Seinfeld's wife for advice on how to get on the site's EIP list, set Net-a-Porter World aflutter; I must have been asked five times if I'd seen it. When I did watch it, I noticed no one mentioned the part where Louis-Dreyfus, talking to Jessica Seinfeld, says, "Who buys this crap?"

The answer to who buys the merchandise is: not as many people as the company would like. Although Net-a-Porter has come to occupy a significant amount of what tech companies like to call "mind share," being name-checked by comedians and A$AP Rocky hasn't necessarily translated into immense sales. As the CEO of one company who sells merchandise on the site put it to me: "Everyone loves Net-a-Porter. They are great at everything. Except making money."

In the years after it was acquired by Richemont, Net-a-Porter spent heavily on expansion and acquisitions. It bought a Chinese e-tailer, Shouke, which it transformed into an outpost of the Outnet, and equipped its distribution centers with robotic equipment that matched the black-and-white color scheme. ("There he goes," an operations manager at the warehouse in Mahwah, New Jersey, said this summer, as a mechanized arm reached out to grab an Alexander Wang T-shirt. "She, I mean," he said sheepishly.) The company launched Mr. Porter, created the Net Set, and, last year, debuted the fashion magazine of Massenet's dreams: Porter, a quarterly publication with thick, glossy pages readers can shop from with a scan of their iPhones. Its arrival was heralded in a manner that recalled, well, Condé Nast in the '90s: There were parties in New York and Milan, culminating in an extravaganza at the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild during Paris Fashion Week, at which Alexander Wang and Rihanna danced until the wee hours. ("Net-a-Porter Means Ready to Party," read the New York Times headline.)

None of this was cheap. But even as Net-a-Porter posted losses - £27 million in 2012, £23 million in 2013, £10 million in 2014, according to filings with a U.K. regulator - Richemont allowed it room to grow. "I think they gave them leeway, which was important," says Luca Solca, an analyst who covers the luxury industry for BNP Paribas. "But the true measure of value creation is that you outperform your peers."

By this measure, Net-a-Porter was perhaps not measuring up to expectations. The first-mover advantage it enjoyed for the entirety of its existence was evaporating. People had gotten a lot more comfortable shopping on the internet. "Their customers don't feel like they have to go to Net-a-Porter to buy a Chanel bag anymore," says the former employee who had nothing but kind words for Massenet. "They are going to Farfetch. They are going to Matches. They are going to Yoox."

During the same time period, Yoox had also expanded. It had started a spinoff site, thecorner.com, on which it sold mostly full-price luxury goods, and shoescribe.com, on the premise that women buy shoes online more than almost anything else. It was running the websites for 38 brands. And it was out of the red. "Business is meant to be profitable," Marchetti told the Telegraph in a profile that compared his business favorably against Net-a-Porter's.

The competition was only going to get stiffer: Neiman Marcus had recently purchased MyTheresa.com. Farfetch was acquiring Browns, a high-end boutique. Brands were selling clothes off their own websites, and department stores were gaining ground on the web. Even Condé Nast was getting in the game and is slated to relaunch Style.com next year as what its London-based CEO, Franck Zayan, calls a "luxury-lifestyle commerce destination." Amazon was moving aggressively into high fashion, and though designers still blanched at the idea of selling $2,000 sequined cape dresses alongside the Kindle edition of Fifty Shades of Grey, they did so while conceding that capitulation was inevitable. And the specter of Alibaba loomed above them all.

Richemont's CEO, Johann Rupert, the scion of a wealthy South African family whose economic views have earned him the nickname "Rupert the Bear," has not been shy about his feelings on the Chinese e-commerce colossus. "You want to compete against that?" he asked an audience of entrepreneurs at an event last year. "Not me."

In the year ending March 2015, Net-a-Porter declared a small profit, but by then, Richemont had made up its mind. "There's going to be higher and higher competition, and Richemont is very smart about where they can make returns," says Solca. "You combine forces." This may not even be the last iteration of the newly christened Yoox Net-a-Porter Group. After the merger was announced, Rupert admitted at the Financial Times' Business of Luxury summit that he'd called rivals and begged them to form an even larger alliance. "I was speaking to [LVMH CEO Bernard] Arnault, I was speaking to [the luxury holding company] Kering," he said. But even though Richemont will own half of the combined company, it will enjoy only a quarter of the voting rights. The boss will be Federico Marchetti.

To all outward appearances, Massenet is confident Net-a-Porter will continue to operate as usual. "It's a beautiful, well-oiled machine," she says of the company in its current state. "It's beautifully crafted and operates at intense speeds and it's very sleek and it looks as beautiful on the inside as it does on the outside."

Beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder. "I have known Federico, and he is a no-bullshit kind of guy," says Solca. In his statements, Marchetti has praised the excellence of Net-a-Porter's editorial content, but some are skeptical that the company's more extravagant projects - like Porter and Mr. Porter Post, a quarterly published on newsprint - will survive. "It's my expectation he will be streamlining lots of things," continues Solca. "He's an engineer kind of manager, and Yoox is a very quantitatively driven company, where Net-a-Porter is more artistic. It's very clear that now that Marchetti is taking over, things will be different."

Yoox did not make Marchetti available to talk about his plans, though it did reiterate that he was "the one and only spokeperson for all matters related to the merger." This was clear enough at Net-a-Porter, where questions about it were deflected. In the glass room with Massenet, I started to ask about a recent interview with Bloomberg TV, after which it was widely reported she'd said she'd stay at the company. "That's not what I said," she interrupted. "They didn't ask. I was talking about where I saw myself in the future. Which I always say, being happy and innovating and thriving."

"Oh," I said. I asked if she was in fact staying. "Nice try," she said. So I went with another question. How did she react when Marchetti boasted to the Financial Times that he was going to be the sole boss?

"I don't think I need to answer that," she said evenly, and continued without changing her tone. "I just have to say that if you are going to pursue this kind of questioning and if your article in any way insinuates any kind of rift or difficulty or am I leaving or am I staying here - I am here to talk about the business. I am chairman of the combined entity, I have a responsibility to a publicly listed company, and I am not here to be gossipy or salacious about anything, and I think it's important that we keep on that tone."

So we did. Elsewhere in the building, a group of employees broke into a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday," which gave the moment an extra patina of awkwardness.

A few weeks later, it came out that minority shareholders in Net-a-Porter had exercised a right, written into the 2010 contract with Richemont, to seek an independent valuation of the company going into any merger. The $1.5 billion figure the deal had been based on was an "insult," Carmen Busquets, an early investor and friend of Massenet's, told WWD, adding that she believed the marriage to Yoox was "hasty," that Massenet should have been named co-CEO, that she and Massenet had tried to buy back the company earlier in the year, and that she regretted giving Richemont the reins in the first place. "Natalie and her team have created a company that has a brand name in high fashion, with multiple business lines and editorial content," she said. "Why merge it with a discounter? Would Cartier merge with Swatch?"

The minority shareholders secured a new valuation, of $2.34 billion. This is unlikely to affect the deal with Yoox but would increase their payout should they decide to cash out and cut loose. "I cannot speculate on whether Natalie will choose to stay," Busquets wrote me in an email. "However the new structure will not be easy for her. I respect Federico, but I question the logic of these two companies together, and of the new personnel structure. Richemont has co-CEO's, but as Johann put it, they are both 'big boys.' Maybe that is a quality where Natalie doesn't qualify in their eyes."

"Since the day I started the company, I have thought about what it will take for this business to have momentum and keep going forward regardless of who is in the company," Massenet told me in London. Perhaps because she's a female founder, people often refer to the company as her baby. "When you have a child, my whole goal is that my 15-year-old goes to university and is independent and can cook herself an omelette one day. And do her own laundry. And I think ..." she trailed off.

It seemed like there was more to say, but instead we said our good-byes and a publicist walked me downstairs. On the steps, a uniformed worker was laying out bags containing orders of things employees had bought from the company. You couldn't tell what was inside the bags. But it looked beautiful.

*This article appears in the August 10, 2015 issue of New York Magazine.

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The World Is Not Enough for Net-a-Porter

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A sampling of items customers added to their Net-a-Porter shopping carts on a recent 9 a.m. EST The thing people always talk about first, when they are talking about Net-a-Porter, is the packaging.

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Over the past few years, Marie Kondo has inspired people across the globe to only keep things that "spark joy." Going into the new decade, we see this phenomenon reflected in a general shift towards more conscious consumption - which can feel at odds with rapid trend cycles and the desire for constant newness that's come to be associated with social media. Still, reports suggest that shoppers are becoming more eco-conscious and are craving higher-quality alternatives to fast-fashion. So brands are faced with the unique challenge of resolving this paradox.

We know that fashion is an environmentally-taxing industry. And while investing in fewer, better things that you'll own for a long time has been seen as a solve from a consumer standpoint, it might not be a realistic proposition for all shoppers. Renting has stepped in as an alternative - and though its "sustainable" status is up for debate, it satiates that desire for newness that might drive someone to shop and dispose of something that's on-trend briefly. It also reimagines our relationship to ownership.

There are many obvious benefits to renting clothes: It allows a larger customer base to discover, wear and access products they might not be able to afford at retail; it adds variety to their everyday wardrobe without the same commitment; it encourages customer feedback and engagement, which are valuable to brands and shoppers alike. And its value is only growing - according to a GlobalData report cited by Bloomberg, the U.S. market for apparel leasing is expected to reach $4.4 billion by 2028.
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Photo: Getty Images for Rent the Runway/Kelly Sullivan

How Rent the Runway's 'Closet in the Cloud' Is Changing the Face of Sustainability
There are various ways for brands to get in on this economy. First, there's the Rent the Runway model: a centralized system where a third party acts as an intermediary between brands and consumers, allowing it to act almost like a rental wholesaler, responsible for buying, dry cleaning, listing, shipping and returning. Its centralized logistics and vast, multi-brand inventory make this distribution model easy to scale - and appealing to potential designer partners.

Sarah Benady, CEO of Ba&sh North America, says that Rent the Runway has been a key partner for the French brand for years, especially as it grew its business stateside.

"I remember when we opened our first store, several customers came in because they had already rented from us on RTR and had fallen in love with our brand," she tells Fashionista.

Rebecca Minkoff decided to put her namesake label on Rent the Runway because the platform "is changing the way customers think about spending and shopping," she says. "It's important to engage in the rental economy because this is where the customer is. Contemporary fashion is about serving the customer with an expression of dress."

A big benefit for brands that put product up on these third-party rental sites is the vast array of qualitative and quantitative data they get back, like the number of times something's been rented and the conversion rate from rental to purchase. These metrics can be integral to help understand what's resonating the most with both current and aspiring customers.

Another useful bit of information, according to Benady, is the UTE, or the utilization rate, which allows a brand to see what percentage of their items are rented and the relative wear rate of their pieces. "The teams take note of if something has a high UTE rate but a low wear rate, then we can pull the item and identify the reasoning," she notes.

All of this, plus customer ratings and reviews, can give brands greater insight into why customers like a certain item - or why they believe that it's not worth the price. That can then, in turn, help inform or even modify a brand's product design or fit.

Tanya Taylor recalls how she leveraged customer feedback to inform two specific design decisions for Spring 2020: "a fixed bust on our wrap dress to provide more coverage and the creation of a new jumpsuit which was an evolution of combining two of our best-rented styles from Spring 2019."

The designer says she's also been able to use data provided by Rent the Runway as a sort of proof of concept around her extended sizing business.

"It has allowed us to go to other wholesaler partners and convince them to buy into our entire size range by showing them how big the appetite is."

Imaxtree

Of course, with so many moving parts, there are some drawbacks to this distribution system. As we saw with Rent the Runway' s supply chain crash back in September, even this centralized model has its limits. Plus, there's bound to be some human error in a giant reverse-logistics machine - a customer's order might contain the wrong item or color or size, a delivery might not arrive on time. This is where decentralized, peer-to-peer models offer a solution.

Peer-to-peer rentals allow the platform to act as an intermediary between the lender and renter - a logistics provider, versus a new-age wholesaler. Platforms like Tulerie and VillageLuxe don't purchase or hold inventory from brands. Instead, they rely on the customers themselves to loan out and launder their items. Without having to worry about complex supply chains, they can offer hyper-localized curations with short delivery windows.

"As consumers, we are getting used to things 'on demand.' So it makes sense to have a decentralized system where items are not sitting in a distant warehouse pending fulfillment," says Julia Gudish-Krieger, founder and CEO of VillageLuxe. "They're available right within your zip code or city and can arrive within 15 minutes or five hours at scale anywhere in the world."

But it's not just new platforms disrupting how shoppers consume. Traditional wholesalers are getting into rental, too, seeing it as an opportunity to expand and refresh what many consider a dying business.

In September2019, Bloomingdale's became the first major department store to launch an in-house rental subscription service, called My List. Denise Magid, EVP and general merchandising manager for ready-to-wear and concessions, believes that rental is an organic evolution for the wholesaler, noting that her team is "able to leverage our vendor relationships to create a brand matrix that delivers on our customers' needs."

A department store of that scale already has well-established customer relationships, based on product quality and an omni-channel experience. By adding rental, Magid says Bloomingdale's is able to provide shoppers "the freedom to experiment with new trends or choose pieces from the brands they already love without the financial investment." She adds that My List, which is powered by CaaStle, "has expanded our customer base, specifically millennial and Gen Z, given their interest in the rental market."

To get a slice of this growing market, URBN, parent company to Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People, took a different route. It started a brand-new business called Nuuly. It's rental-only and, for $88, gives shoppers the option to lease pieces from other URBN labels plus other outside designers and even vintage.
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"We created Nuuly to offer customers an affordable way to infuse frequent newness into their wardrobes and try new brands and trends," says Kim Gallagher, Nuuly's Director of Marketing and Customer Success. "We believe that there will continue to be items that customers want to buy and items they want to rent."

Meanwhile, brands like Banana Republic, Loft, Express and even Ba&sh have introduced direct-to-consumer rental models, which let shoppers engage with their products in a new way and give them a solution to the problem of excess inventory. Vegan outerwear company Apparis has an initiative called Faux Fur Friday, where New York-based customers can rent items for the weekend, free of charge, from its SoHo showroom so long as the items are returned by the following Monday.

Some designers - including BA&SH, Apparis and Rebecca Taylor - maintain a relationship with Rent the Runway and third-party rental systems while employing their own direct-to-consumer version.

"Rebecca Taylor continues to work very closely with RTR as they are great partners and we have worked with them since their inception," says Janice Sullivan, the brand's CEO. In November 2018, Rebecca Taylor introduced its own rental service, called RNTD. "It's interesting to see how the data aligns but also fascinating to see what resonates with their customers may sometimes be different than what resonates with ours." RNTD is programmed by CaaStle, which provides Rebecca Taylor with "advantages [which] include having access to lots of granular data," she adds, noting that the brand has seen "high keep rates on items rented," an increased average order value and a rise in incremental sales.

VillageLuxe's Gudish-Krieger finds that the rental model offers a financial incentive that's mutually beneficial to both lenders and borrowers. "Rental empowers women to play, test, evolve in their fashion journey, which benefits both the consumer and the brands she discovers," she says. Through the sharing economy, shoppers can maximize their purchase and treat products as a reflection of their personal value and those of the overall market. "Fashion ROI [return on investment] doesn't have to be just bang for buck on how many wears you get for an item, but will naturally grow to incorporate rental value as well." Not to mention resale value, to bring up another popular method of extending a product's lifecycle.

This behavioral shift could teach consumers to see an item's longevity and potential future value differently - and, in the end, hopefully encourage more mindful shopping.

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How Brands Can Navigate - and Benefit From - the Billion-Dollar Rental Market

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Over the past few years, Marie Kondo has inspired people across the globe to only keep things that "spark joy." Going into the new decade, we see this phenomenon reflected in a general shift towards more conscious consumption - which can feel at odds with rapid trend cycles and the desire for constant newness that's come to be associated with social media.

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The Globe-Trotter Safari Collection 26 Inch Suitcase is an elegant, classic suitcase design. Built to last a lifetime of travel! Lightweight, weighing approximately 9 lbs. Safari celebrates the revival of the distinguished suitcases made by Globe-Trotter in the late 1920's.

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Rent the runway x W hotels service allows customers at participating w hotels to select from a range of garments which can be sent directly to their hotel room.

Cons:

There is a limited selection of garments to choose from and garments range from each location.

Not very broadly advertised - very hard to find information about it or even know it exists.

Only offer 4 and 8 day rentals.

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Could introduce new brands that are exclusive to the luggage service.

Sustainable swimwear brands. (Selfridges podcast)

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Net-a-porter has beachwear specific designers. They focus largely on holiday shop and beachwear.

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Shop over 350 of the world's leading designers at NET-A-PORTER.COM | NET-A-PORTER.COM

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Shop designer fashion online at NET-A-PORTER.COM. Designer clothes, designer shoes, designer bags and designer accessories from top designer brands: Christian Louboutin, Matthew Williamson, Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs and more...

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When a product has reached the end of its journey, it can be donated or recycled. Once an item can no longer be included as part of the rental service, it can be sold at a fixed price or donated to charity.

Use reusable garment bags to minimise waste and plastic usage.

Green cleaning between each use. Not using any harmful chemicals etc. Every garment will look and feel brand new every time it is rented out.

Rental insurance. Accidents happen. Rent the runway policy "We understand that some wear and tear may be inevitable. Insurance is included with our memberships and with any 4 or 8-day Reserve rental we include a $5 insurance fee to cover minor stains and damage. However, significant damage, loss of the item, and theft aren't covered under the insurance. If the item is damaged beyond repair or never returned, you will be charged the retail price of the item."

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"80 billion pieces of clothing are purchased worldwide each year, which is 400% more than a decade ago."

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WGSN | Creating Tomorrow | Trend Forecasting & Analytics

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Log in to WGSN's suite of industry-leading trend forecasting, analytics and consumer intelligence tools to remove risk and start empowering your decisions.

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Mintel has been at the forefront of predicting the consumer trends that matter most, calling them early and accurately, for over 15 years. You know your market. We know where it’s
heading next.

Wellbeing:

"A holistic approach is becoming a key motivator of consumer behaviour, underpinned by convenience, transparency, and value."

"There are opportunities for brands to become wellbeing
partners with their customers."

Technology:

With 5G expected to link 125 billion devices by 2030 (11 billion in 2019), mobile technology will blur the lines between time, travel, and location for work, learning, and leisure. This will increasingly incorporate elements of virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) into various industries, like tourism and entertainment.

Value:

The current era is one of excessive and unsustainable consumption. Social media’s ‘swipe up’ culture has perpetuated the chase for buying more and buying better. With climate change as one of the defining issues of modern society, consumers are taking a closer look at their own consumption habits, and looking to make changes today that lead to a better future.

Driven by a desire for more environmentally-conscious purchases, consumers are in search of more affordable used items, leading to growth in the second-hand economy.

In 2020 expect to see: Interest in fast fashion diminish as
consumers demand greater longevity from their purchases.

Rapid urbanisation will shrink available space in the home, office, and shared environments, demanding consumers buy less ‘stuff’. The movement away from a ‘swipe up’ culture will see influencers lose their influence.

In 2025 expect to see: The luxury goods market grow as more consumers opt for longer-lasting, sustainable goods,. Sharing economy services continue to evolve, moving beyond economic benefits to the environmental and social benefits. Rapid, mainstream growth in the second-hand
economy.

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Alongside sustainability and digitisation, the third major opportunity for the industry next year, as cited by our survey respondents, was innovation. No wonder then, given the investment needed to meet these challenges, that small and medium-sized players are particularly nervous about what lies ahead. This is particularly acute in luxury, where the world’s biggest groups continue to increase their market share. Digitisation remains critical, while players must address increasing consumer concerns over sustainability, if they want to secure their future.

Last year we predicted a “unicorn” in this space — in fact, Rent the Runway and StockX both duly topped billion dollar valuations earlier this year.

Alongside sustainability and digitisation, the third major opportunity for the industry next year, as cited by our survey respondents, was innovation. No wonder then, given the investment needed to meet these challenges, that small and medium-sized players are particularly nervous about what lies ahead. This is particularly acute in luxury, where the world’s biggest groups continue to increase their market share.

“Circularity is quite tangible,” says Sarah Needham, knowledge exchange manager at UAL, London College of Fashion’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion. “Taking steps towards recycling and encouraging the circular economy is something [brands] can grab hold of and make concrete steps towards.”

"Heading into 2020 fashion companies will need to leverage new technologies and grow consumer appetite for up-cycled or recycled clothes"

“You just have to disconnect from a preconception of an existing supply chain model and really think creatively around what’s happening,” says Graeme Raeburn.

In contrast, the luxury sectors have largely driven the industry’s rebound over the last two years, accounting for almost 80 percent of the industry’s economic profit growth.

Notable in luxury is Kering’s particularly impressive rise through the ranks, driven by Gucci’s double-digit year-on-year sales growth, and high performance in Asia-Pacific
markets such as Japan.

Growth in jewellery and watches will remain low, but handbags and luggage will continue to perform well as luxury brands capitalise on the growth in tourism from regions such as mature Asia-Pacific, China and the Middle East.

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And a vibrant world of active and mindful experiences, tailored to your passions, enjoyed amongst the elements. Salty hair; sandy skin; glowing from head to toe - this is the art of summer, perfected.

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Created exclusively for the ultra-luxury market, One&Only is conceived as a hallmark of excellence. Set in some of the most beautiful locales in the world, each award-winning resort offers guests a distinctive style and personality borne of its local culture, a genuine hospitality and a lively energy that is unrivalled. The exclusive collection includes One&Only Reethi Rah in the Maldives; One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius; One&Only Royal Mirage and One&Only The Palm in Dubai; One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico; One&Only Cape Town in South Africa; Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley in The Blue Mountains in Australia; and One&Only Nyungwe House and One&Only Gorilla’s Nest in Rwanda. As part of the new portfolio, One&Only will be opening One&Only Desaru Coast in Malaysia, One&Only Portonovi in Montenegro and One&Only Mandarina in Riviera Nayarit in Mexico in 2020. Additional resorts in development include One&Only Kéa Island in Greece, One&Only One Za’abeel in Dubai as well as communities of One&Only Private Homes around the world. More information on One&Only is available at oneandonlyresorts.com

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Where luxury hospitality and innovative entertainment meets disruptive technology.

Building customer relationships: One and only are dedicated to making each and every customer experience unique. They use data on their customers to ensure that they have the most personal experiences. This data can enable the staff to know which coffee the guest will enjoy or what they like to read so that they can have a tailored experience no matter which resort they are staying in.

With data comes responsibility. Collaboration with Hexaware to protect customer data.

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"In business theory, a disruptive innovation is an innovation that creates a new market and value network and eventually disrupts an existing market and value network"

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- Laundry is a key focus for many of these operators who are looking to reduce water waste and opt for cleaner, greener dry-cleaning solutions. Washing items properly and responsibly will also extend the lifecycle of a garment and cut down on clothes ending up in landfill.
- UK rental app Hurr has also partnered with eco-friendly dry-cleaners BLANC, which offers special rates to renters.
- A prediction made at the 2017 World Economic Forum was that by 2030 individuals would no longer own anything. Traditional retailers should already be thinking about this as a reality and consider launching rental subscriptions to appeal to a mass-consumer market.

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WGSN | Creating Tomorrow | Trend Forecasting & Analytics

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Log in to WGSN's suite of industry-leading trend forecasting, analytics and consumer intelligence tools to remove risk and start empowering your decisions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
WGSN | Creating Tomorrow | Trend Forecasting & Analytics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Log in to WGSN's suite of industry-leading trend forecasting, analytics and consumer intelligence tools to remove risk and start empowering your decisions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
WGSN | Creating Tomorrow | Trend Forecasting & Analytics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Log in to WGSN's suite of industry-leading trend forecasting, analytics and consumer intelligence tools to remove risk and start empowering your decisions.

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Personal shopping service

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Key Performance Indicators:

– 842.2 million visits, compared with 715.5 million in 2016
– 9.5 million orders, compared with 8.4 million in 2016
– Euro 328 AOV (Average Order Value), compared with Euro 334 in 2016, reflecting unfavourable exchange
rate movements
– 3.1 million active customers, compared with 2.9 million in 2016

In full-year 2017, the Multi-brand In-Season business line, which includes NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER, recorded consolidated net revenues of Euro 1.1 billion, up 18.3% on an organic basis.

In 2017, NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER significantly enriched their unique portfolio of the world’s most coveted
and prestigious luxury houses with new key fashion and hard luxury brands and exclusive capsule collections.
Noteworthy additions include Alaïa, which chose NET-A-PORTER as its exclusive online retail partner

Uniquely positioned in the high growth online luxury sector, YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP has an unrivalled client base of more
than 3 million high-spending customers, over 840 million visits worldwide and consolidated net revenues of €2.1 billion in 2017.

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Organic growth 10.4%

In the first quarter of 2018, YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP’s online stores attracted 244.8 million visits compared
with 200.3 million in the same period of 2017, which translated into 2.4 million orders.

In the first quarter of 2018, the Multi-brand In-Season business line, which includes NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER,
recorded consolidated net revenues of Euro 282.3 million, up 14.1% at constant forex (+5.9% reported).

Overall, as at 31 March 2018, the Multi-brand In-Season business line accounted for 54.6% of the Group’s
consolidated net revenues.

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Farfetch virtual try on feature

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Yoox Net-A-Porter Group, the most advanced fashion hub in Italy for artificial intelligence and visual recognition, is collaborating with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia to set up a lab to work on artificial intelligence and computer vision. It will develop a research programme that aims to give customers a perfect online shopping experience.

The three-year partnership with AImageLab, the prestigious artificial intelligence research centre of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, will set up a research programme led by Professor Rita Cucchiara, one of the leading experts in the field and director of the National Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems.

The ultimate goal is to completely revolutionise the online shopping experiences of customers all over the world, developing cutting-edge technological solutions thanks to the processing of the group's huge archive, which contains over 20 years of data and tens of millions of images.

As a starting point, the lab will mainly focus on two topics: Visual Search and Virtual Try On. The studied solutions will allow to identify in Yoox Net-A-Porter's database not only the clothes but also specific details such as materials, lengths, colours, and classify the garments based on these elements. Additional functions based on artificial intelligence will be developed, which will allow to further enhance customers' virtual interaction experience with the products.

The visual processing by artificial intelligence allows to process an infinite amount of data quickly, even from a qualitative point of view, which will allow to understand, for example, if a garment is made of pure cotton or virgin wool.Yoox Net-A-Porter will put at the disposal of the research programme its computing capacity present in its data centres, whose systems are able to perform a large amount of operations per second.

Artificial Intelligence has become increasingly essential in the fashion industry. Through the use of this technology, it will be easier to predict market demand, and guarantee customers a perfect look and fit of the items ordered online.

In addition, artificial intelligence can also make a difference during these difficult times, through the application of the latest generation of Deep Learning techniques. For this reason, always in collaboration with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Yoox Net-A-Porter will participate in the Folding @ Home project and will make its computing power available to the scientific community for projects related to COVID-19 research. The Folding @ Home initiative allows any citizen and company in the world to donate their computing power for the simulation of protein dynamics and the development of new therapies.

"The collaboration with one of the world excellences in the study of Artificial Intelligence allows us to explore the potential of technology in support of humanity in an innovative way," Federico Marchetti, chairman and CEO of Yoox Net-A-Porter Group, said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SV)

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Yoox Net-A-Porter Group working with Modena on AI

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Yoox Net-A-Porter Group, the most advanced fashion hub in Italy for artificial intelligence and visual recognition, is collaborating with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia to set up a lab to work on artificial intelligence and computer vision. It will develop a research programme that aims to give customers a perfect online shopping experience.

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Farfetch is YNAP's #1 rival. Farfetch is a Public company that was founded in London, England in 2007. Like YNAP, Farfetch also works within the Apparel Retail field. Farfetch has 768 fewer employees vs. YNAP.

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Top Competitors or Alternatives

Missing a competitor? Contribute!

Weigh-in!

Help the Owler community know more

Growth Score - 1/1

Is $2.6B a good estimate for YNAP's revenue?

Farfetch is YNAP's #1 rival. Farfetch is a Public company that was founded in London, England in 2007. Like YNAP, Farfetch also works within the Apparel Retail field. Farfetch has 768 fewer employees vs. YNAP.

LVMH is perceived as one of YNAP's biggest rivals. LVMH was founded in 1987, and is headquartered in Paris, Île-de-France. Like YNAP, LVMH also operates in the Apparel Retail sector. LVMH generates $57.5B more revenue vs. YNAP.

Kering is a top competitor of YNAP. Kering is a Public company that was founded in 1963 in Paris, Île-de-France. Like YNAP, Kering also operates in the Apparel Retail space. Compared to YNAP, Kering has 32,700 more employees.

No recent acquisitions found related to YNAP

Since YNAP was founded in 2015, it has participated in 1 round of funding. In total YNAP has raised $113.0M. YNAP's funding round was on Apr 2016 for a total of $113.0M

Since YNAP was founded in 2015, it has participated in 1 round of funding. In total YNAP has raised $113.0M. YNAP's funding round was on Apr 2016 for a total of $113.0M

No recent investments found related to YNAP

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YNAP Competitors, Revenue and Employees - Owler Company Profile

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Help the Owler community know more Growth Score - 1/1 Is $2.6B a good estimate for YNAP's revenue? Farfetch is YNAP's #1 rival. Farfetch is a Public company that was founded in London, England in 2007. Like YNAP, Farfetch also works within the Apparel Retail field. Farfetch has 768 fewer employees vs.

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2017-2018 trading statement

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Net-a-porter sustainability report 2018

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One&Only

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Net-a-porter

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Conde nast traveller is an intelligent story telling platform that allows the consumer to gain a deeper insight into the resorts and what it is like to stay there.
The collaboration between Conde nast and One&Only is beneficial because it allows for them to tap into the Conde nast customer and target their content to a more specific luxury customer.

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"Bringing a fashion and lifestyle element not previously seen in hotel marketing"
They always strive to make the experience feel as homey and personal as possible.
Opening a new resort in China to capture the more affluent customer.
“One&Only has always been a disrupter, striving to develop unique experiences that guests were looking for, but didn’t know they were looking for, until they stayed with us.” - Zuber.

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Few hotel brands made as big an impact as quickly as One&Only Resorts after its launch in 2002. Comparing it to an industry filled with big names, in 2014, Marketing Magazine wrote, "The slow and steady growth of (other brands) contrasts starkly to the meteoric rise of One&Only Resorts. Founded in 2002 by South African business magnate Solomon Kernzer of Sun City fame, it has become the benchmark of excellence despite having only eight (now nine) properties under its belt." The article pointed to its unusual name, its striking black and white ads and its use of top models with haute photography, bringing a fashion and lifestyle element previously not seen in hotel marketing.

Rudi Steele, a Dallas-based travel advisor who specializes in selling well to do clients into top luxury hotels, says, on the operations side, the group was also cutting edge. "They really paid attention to the little things. When clients arrived, they would have a framed picture of their dog. Instead of a bottle of Dom, which my clients already have at home by the case, they would have a bottle of their favorite spirit. They were one of the first, if not the first, to have couples massages," he said.

Today, the luxury market is more crowded and confusing than ever. The concept of lifestyle hotels has meant properties that would have previously been categorized as four-star due to low staff to guest ratios, or use of cheaper materials, have positioned themselves for the luxury traveler with trendy restaurants, hot spot rooftop lounges and associations with "it" artists and other folks also gaining their moment of fame. At the same time, global groups such as Starwood and Hilton Worldwide took singular properties such as St. Regis and Waldorf Astoria and turned them into global luxury brands, while numerous other groups popped up, each with a different take on luxury.

For One&Only, it means the need to keep pushing forward, and make sure it is seen not just as a luxury offering, but as new President & Chief Operating Office Philippe Zuber describes, as "ultra-luxury." A veteran of Hyatt and Emaar, he finds on his plate five new openings slated for the next several years, beginning with Hainan Island in China, which he says will give the group a big boost in its efforts to capture more affluent Asia-based travelers. "Since we added Wolgan Valley (about 45 minutes by helicopter from Sydney) and Hayman Island, the business from Australia to all of our other hotels has grown significantly." He says, after Australians sampled One & Only's take on luxury offerings domestically, they then sought out the brand for foreign trips, while the PR of having two high end resorts in Australia boosted the brand's awareness.

Also in the pipeline will be Bahrain, Montenegro, which will give the group an outpost in the European hotspot, and two resorts near Puerto Vallarta, which will compliment One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos.

Speaking to Forbes.com in Las Vegas during Virtuoso Travel Week, a gathering that includes over 5,200 luxury travel agents and hotel executives, Zuber said, "One&Only has always been a disrupter, striving to develop unique experiences that guests were looking for, but didn't know they were looking for, until they stayed with us." The success, he says, was driven by "emphasis on quality of the people we hire, the quality of training, and the quality of service."

While the group will expand its portfolio by more than 50 percent, he believes being small gives it an opportunity to better serve today's more finicky luxury consumer. As an example, he points to food and beverage, where he says guests at remote resorts are no longer happy with one or two dining options.

While the group has always been creative, such as taking guests to a private island for a romantic dinner cooked by a chef, as opposed to pre-prepared and simply served, it is now bringing concepts such as pop up restaurants. For example, from November 12-14, Neil Perry will be on location at Wolgan Valley, while Jean-Georges Vongerichten will cook on November 11 be at Palmilla. While Zuber expects guests to book just for those specific dates, he said it is also meant to be a surprise for guests who already have reservations or just randomly choose those dates. After the celebrity chef leaves, the concept restaurants will operate for approximately 10 days overseen by their deputies. Plans are in place to have the pop up restaurants at all of its properties.

Asked about the current wave of consolidation, and if there will continue to be room for small operators, he says, "This is an example of why it's nice to be small," adding, "The DNA of One & Only as a brand is creating entertainment." Another example of its dexterity is fitness, where resort gyms have typically been two rooms with ice cold air conditioning, one with cardio machines and weights, the other with padded floor for yoga, calisthenics and other classes. Guests peddled away on stationary bikes watching CNN on miniatures TVs.

Part of the full renovation of Ocean Club (above) in the Bahamas completed last year was the creation of an outdoor gym in addition to the indoor gym. It features weights and exercise areas, and enables the resort to offer fitness classes outside, including on the beach. It's now being extended across the group, taking into account local variances, which brings up another plus about being small. In a world driven by brand rules, Zuber says, "We never talk about standards. We talk about guidelines." The outdoor gym concept is getting such good feedback it will now be added to the new resorts.

Perhaps the biggest thing that's changed since the beginning is founder Sol Kerzner no longer owns any shares. One&Only is one of three brands under Kerzner International, now owned fully by Investment Corporation of Dubai, Colony Capital and Goldman Sachs. Steele says while he credits the group's early success to Kerzner, his son Butch, who was killed in a helicopter accident, and Ed Steiner, a highly regarded hotelier who also passed away several years ago, he is happy to see the group has strong financial backers, including entities that have a long and successful track record in hotel ownership. Next year, One&Only Le St. Geran will close for 11 months for a complete renovation. "In this category, the hard product has to be perfect," Steele says.

At the same time, Zuber is not concerned about the likes of Airbnb. "It isn't impacting our business because our business is about service. They have no expertise in service. Our customer is looking for something very unique, and they will never get that in the mainstream places," he says.

However, home ownership is a key part of future properties. "Ultra luxury resorts are expensive to run and manage," Zuber says. To boost the bottom line, the group will be adding residential real estate you can buy to some of existing properties, and make it part of several new openings. Home owners will be able to put their properties into a rental pool when they are not using them, enabling One&Only to expand its offerings of 3, 4, and 5-bedroom villas, which are increasingly in high demand, and many of its properties already offer as part of their hotel inventory.

While creating and curating memorable experiences is the hot trend in travel, Zuber is nonplussed. "This is what we've be doing for now over 13 years," he says.

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Few hotel brands made as big an impact as quickly as One&Only Resorts after its launch in 2002. Comparing it to an industry filled with big names, in 2014, Marketing Magazine wrote, "The slow and steady growth of (other brands) contrasts starkly to the meteoric rise of One&Only Resorts.

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Adobe try on technology

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With the coronavirus pandemic keeping many physical retail stores shuttered and making photo shoots of all kinds more difficult, Adobe is experimenting with new ways for shoppers or models to virtually try on clothes.

The software company outlined a new potential feature this week that uses artificial intelligence to transform a piece of clothing to fit the shape and pose of a person in an image while preserving the visual details of the garment, according to a research paper Adobe compiled with Stanford University and IIT Hyderabad.

The researchers claim their method can outperform other similar tech, which often suffers from unsightly distortions, by first warping the apparel to the body and then applying the texture of the warped item to the target model in a way that more seamlessly integrates with the image in question. The system is trained on around 19,000 images of female models and product listings.

"While we don't expect physical photo shoots to go away, there will be instances where the time and cost savings can be compelling-especially when the right technology is available," Adobe senior data and analytics evangelist Eric Matisoff said in a blog post. "It aligns with Adobe's long history of working with graphics and AI that has been trained to understand the nuances in composition, textures and the like."

As image recognition and generation AI has improved in recent years, a number of similar tools based on similar technology have already hit the market, including startups like Vue.ai and Zeekit and L'Oréal's virtual makeup counter ModiFace. Adobe researchers claim their tool could improve on many of these existing offerings.

"We show significant qualitative and quantitative improvement over the current state-of-the-art method for image-based virtual try-on," they said in the paper. "Successful virtual try-on experience depends upon synthesizing images free from artifacts arising from improper positioning or shaping of the try-on garment, and inefficient composition resulting in blurry or bleeding garment textures in the final try-on output."

Adobe imagines the feature eventually being adaptable to the needs of a specific client brand, whether they are looking to power a virtual fitting room feature or interchange models for product listings. The company is also promoting it as a possible way to increase the diversity of models featured on ecommerce sites.

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Adobe Experimental AI Lets Shoppers Try on Clothes Virtually

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With the coronavirus pandemic keeping many physical retail stores shuttered and making photo shoots of all kinds more difficult, Adobe is experimenting with new ways for shoppers or models to virtually try on clothes.

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Quay Australia has an online feature where you can see how the sunglasses would look on and they can recommend styles to suit your face shape.

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Would you bother going to stores for shopping unless you have to? 30% of US-based respondents said NO if augmented reality made that possible. That's why people love virtual try-ons - you can try products virtually and shop them at the comfort of your home. (Or you can boast of a cool selfie with top brand goods if you're tight on the budget).

Learn 15 best virtual try on apps that promise to rock in 2019. From 'dark hoses' that we have not yet heard about to world-famous apps that millions already know and love. These virtual try-on apps for iOS and Android are super fun, easy and surprisingly useful to use.

If you've ever thought about wearing a tattoo, you remember how hard the decision comes. Will it look right? Will I look good with it? Inkhunter app provides the answers allowing you to try on any tattoo via augmented reality experience without risk and consequences.

Not that we see the technology of virtual tattoo try-on a breakthrough that will push people into decorating themselves with lifetime body art. However, the app comes in handy for salons and body art fans. Or for everyone who wants his or her youngster dreams come true at least on a photo while keeping the real-life body "clean" as nature has made it.

Ordering books or electronics online is commonplace to us. But glasses? No way. Items on photos or models wearing them look perfect, but will they suit us? Warby Parker app can give you a hint. This app provides real-time virtual glasses try-on experience featuring branded items that you can order right from the app.

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App Screens from Apple Store

In case you need more glasses online from other brands, check Glasses.com app. It features hundreds of frames from Ray-Ban, Oakley, Burberry, Coach and others. The experience is not that smooth as with Warby Parker's - you need to adjust your face position to make sure the glasses fit right. But the choice of frames to wear at home is truly diverse.

There are companies who aimed to launch virtual haircuts and hair recolor app try-ons. Yet, only a few succeeded in bringing mature technology that goes far beyond manual selfie editing but provides real-time experience. Modiface is the one who did.

Youcam apps are powered with Modiface's real-time 3D facial tracking and face segmentation technology. It allows you to try on makeup, change the color of your hair. With their recent demo in SEC2019 of AR mirror, the hair recoloring experience is the example all brands should follow.

This year Sephora's virtual makeover app goes beyond lipsticks and lip glosses. It also expands to eyeshadows and eyeliners allowing you to augment the full-face makeup virtual try-on. You can virtually try on different looks and makeup outfits by simply swiping the filters. Or browse products based on category, brand, colour or favourites to see it live on your face.

Virtual makeovers can't be mentioned without L'Oreal since it's the #1 brand that transforms the beauty AR experience. Of all the makeup tools and apps powered with AR and AI, its Makeup Genius app beats all competitors in features and performance. L'Oreal also offers super diverse virtual try-on feature s via its site allowing consumers to try on hair colors and cosmetics before the purchase.

Another makeup try on from Plum Perfect deserves special attention due to its fantastic personalization approach to makeup try-ons. The app analyzes your complexion and creates the perfect signature color for your lips, eyes, face, and hair. At a click of a button, you can get your unique makeup look and see products that suit your facial features and skin.

See how necklaces look on you or match with your evening dress. The technology of neck segmentation overlays virtual jewelry on your selfie helping you to shop for the best-fit items. The concept is great but photo-only experience fails to unleash this virtual try-on experience.

App Screens from Apple Store

Lologem app is powered with face tracking and head-pose estimation to enable real-time virtual try-on experience for accessories. Girls can choose accessories from different brands and wear them in AR.

Need a pair of earnings or a ring? CaratLane app can place a hundred on you. By recording a quick your selfie left-to-right video, you can try on a pair of virtual earnings.

Getting married? No time to choose a wedding ring? Beaumade app can put on a dozen of gorgeous designer engagement rings right on your finger via mobile augmented reality experience.

First nail makeup try-ons have appeared just 3 years ago and have been overlooked by mass media. Now the trend has gained a second wind in the virtual cosmetics world. Wanna Nails app allows trying on nail polish via augmented reality with your phone camera and buy the one you like. This app will also interest salons as customers may preview the result of nail art or pick the one that looks best on them.

Clothing brands are actively looking into augmented reality to make online shopping easier for their consumers. The Virtual Dressing Room app allows you to try on dresses, skirts, tops, shorts and accessories and create your best outfits for any occasion. All you need is your straight on full body photo with your arms down by your side.

Buying shoes online can be painful. Who wants to deal with returns and improper size fitting? Virtual Fit Shoe app can help you match your size of the feet with inside shape of shoes, visualize them and find your perfect pair.

Enough about other brands' apps. The idea behind all of them is that e-commerce is changing rapidly. Virtual try-on apps help brands overcome the pain points like product returns or customer engagement.

And while most of the apps listed above are cool in their concept, they still fail to provide a sleek and convenient virtual try on experience. One that happens in real time, not via painful photo editing.

Get Free Demo of FaceAR SDK

Our technology lets users actually move with their face or hand to see the item from different angles and in real-time. No photo uploads or manual adjustments. Glasses, headwear, accessories and makeup overlay similar as Snapchat-like filter but look as real as on the shelf of your store.

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Would you bother going to stores for shopping unless you have to? 30% of US-based respondents said NO if augmented reality made that possible. That's why people love virtual try-ons - you can try products virtually and shop them at the comfort of your home.

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Style quiz allows the team of stylists to select items based on your shopping preferences. Shows selections of items and outfits and asks if it is the style of the consumer to gain insight into the products they should be recommending.

Asks about body proportions for example "how would you categorise your proportions? are your arms - short, average or long.

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We find styles to suit you

A great wardrobe starts with your perfect fit. Our stylists discover clothing for you, hand-selected for your size and style.

How Stitch Fix works

1. Get clothing based on your style, size and price range for a £10 styling fee.

2. Try on items at home and only pay for what you like. Redeem the £10 against anything you decide to keep.

3. Free delivery, returns & exchanges. A prepaid return label is included.

The Brands & Styles You Want

Your look is curated from a wide assortment of brands, both established and boutique.

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Stitch Fix UK | Stylist | Clothing Stylists

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A great wardrobe starts with your perfect fit. Our stylists discover clothing for you, hand-selected for your size and style. Get clothing based on your style, size and price range for a £10 styling fee. Try on items at home and only pay for what you like.

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Offer different ways for customers to try on the clothes before they make the decision to have their bag sent to their destination.

Upload measurements so that the team of stylists can select sizes and garments that would flatter your physique. (look at Asos garment technology fitting)

AI technology so customers can upload an image of themselves and be able to see themselves wearing the items.

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Give customers the option to select a package to make the experience more tailored. This will allow us to cater more to the customer's needs by designing packages that are varied in price.

Bronze -  The customer will design their luggage online and select the items they want. This will then be sent to their house and the customer would take it with them to the airport like a normal suitcase. This means the customer can try on the items to ensure they are the correct size etc.

Silver -

Gold - Personal fitting and personal stylist assigned to get the most tailored experience possible. Perks include complimentary cleaning and steaming of garments at the hotel and other hotel perks on arrival.

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Could Net-a-Porter's New Sustainable Fashion Platform Be The Future Of The Fashion Industry?

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Net-a-Porter has just launched Net Sustain, a platform to champion sustainable fashion brands of all kinds. Now you can buy high fashion with a conscience

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Discover a range of environmental initiatives at Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley

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On #WorldOceansDay, Net-A-Porter posted The Beauty Memo, titled "Is The Future For Beauty Waterless?"

This week, the planet celebrated #WorldOceansDay-the day when humanity rethinks the management of the ocean and its resources. Introduced in 1992 by Canada's International Centre for Ocean Development, #WorldOceansDay has been attracting world-renowned luxury brands, which use the holiday for their cause-marketing initiatives, ever since.

This year, Net-A-Porter "made a splash" calling beauty companies and consumers to be more water-conscious about cosmetics and skin care . " MAKE WAVES: Water consumption continues to be a crucial part of the sustainability conversation, and beauty is no exception. As water becomes more of a commodity, the impacts of its scarcity are felt more and more, and so a water-conscious beauty routine is more important than ever before [...]" the company wrote in an Instagram post .

Continue scrolling to keep reading Click the button below to start this article in quick view.

It's All About "Aqua"

Water (or "aqua") makes up about 70 percent of a typical water-based product. The problem, however, is that, most of the time, it doesn't add any substance, but rather just provides a cheap way to boost volume of the product. Fortunately, today, water substitutions are widely available and some beauty formulas even benefit from containing less water.

Quality products that don't contain water (anhydrous) can be found on the market as cleansing balms, pressed serums, dry masks and other products. Founder of De Mamiel, Annee de Mamiel, says: "A well-balanced facial oil provides the skin with a mix of ceramides, cholesterol and essential fatty acids, along with plant polyphenols to moisturize dry skin, repair barrier function and balance the oil."

RELATED: Here Are The Beauty Ingredients You Need To Avoid (According To Experts)

Start A Water-Conscious Beauty Routine

On #WorldOceansDay, Net-A-Porter posted The Beauty Memo , titled "Is There Future For Beauty Waterless?" educating consumers on waterless beauty and how it can be incorporated into our daily routines.

Of course, water shouldn't be completely eliminated. Water is necessary. But being conscious about how it is utilized can be beneficial to our skin and to the environment.

Here is what we can do to be more mindful about water use in cosmetics:

S implify our routines so that fewer products are used.

Remember that while water is crucial to our overall health, it's not critical for the skin. "Water alone is not hydrating to the skin because it just evaporates," explained dermatological surgeon Dr. Heather D. Rogers.

Know what you're trying to get out of the product. According to Krysia Boinis, cofounder of Vapour Beauty, "Waterless products are great for concentrated skin nourishment. Save water-based skincare for treatments with hydrophilic ingredients like fruit acids and water-soluble vitamins."

Choose well-formulated products with targeted ingredients. "To negate the effects of hard water, look for cleansers with chelators that bind to calcium and prevent it from reacting with skin's oils, and incorporate antioxidants to protect against free radicals," suggested dermatologist Dr. Dennis Gross .

Be aware of the amount of water used overall and remember that even anti-aging face oil has water footprints in it.

NEXT: Gucci Minimized Their Runway Shows; What Does This Mean For The Fashion Industry?

Here's Why Billie Eilish Wears Baggy Clothes

About The Author

Born and raised in South-Eastern Ukraine, Marina moved to the United States with her family in 2008. After graduating from University of California Los Angeles with a degree in English (creative writing concentration), she continued her career as an International Journalist and Fiction Writer. Marina is an avid world explorer, shutterbug and SEO and marketing enthusiast. She can't imagine her life without books and dreams about traveling in time to Victorian England.

More About Marina Kapralau

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Net-A-Porter Educates Consumers On How To Be Beautiful And Conserve Water

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On #WorldOceansDay, Net-A-Porter posted The Beauty Memo, titled "Is The Future For Beauty Waterless?" This week, the planet celebrated #WorldOceansDay-the day when humanity rethinks the management of the ocean and its resources. Introduced in 1992 by Canada's International Centre for Ocean Development, #WorldOceansDay has been attracting world-renowned luxury brands, which use the holiday for their cause-marketing initiatives, ever since.

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Shop designer fashion online at NET-A-PORTER.COM. Designer clothes, designer shoes, designer bags and designer accessories from top designer brands: Christian Louboutin, Matthew Williamson, Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs and more...

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To stay relevant, luxury brands will indeed need to create deeper and more meaningful engagement with their modern affluent consumers, deliver a new range of personalised experiences and innovate both their business models and value propositions to fit modern digital-infused lifestyles. 

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Every year, January brings a long list of must-reads that perhaps shine brighter than the new year's resolutions: luxury trends for the year ahead.

Many of us are hoping to gain some insights into the future of luxury in a rapidly changing world. And if the global search trends are anything to go by, it is clear that many of us are thinking more deeply about what we truly value in our lives, including the brands we shop from.

Luxury is constantly evolving-in geographies and in generations. Younger and younger luxury consumers continue to rewrite the industry rulebook. New worlds of luxury are on the map. The very definition of luxury is increasingly nuanced. And the reliance on technology is deepening in view of the Web3 era.

Luxury has once again proved its resilience, just as we believed it would. French luxury group LMVH-which owns 75 major brands across wines and spirits, fashion and leather, perfumes and cosmetics, watches and jewelry, and selective retailing-recorded 20% growth in revenue in the first 9 months of 2022 vs 2021.

And this wasn't just the case for the largest luxury groups. 95% of luxury brands enjoyed a positive compound annual growth rate in 2022.

And despite economic headwinds and global recession fears, the luxury industry is set to grow-albeit more slowly-in 2023 as wealthy shoppers continue to travel and spend.

The luxury futurescape is far from smooth sailing, however, with a new wave of consciousness, changes, and challenges.

We believe Betterment in the Youniverse will be one of the key themes in 2023 and beyond.

Affluent consumers are increasingly pursuing positive changes in their lives and are expecting luxury brands to do better-by the people and by the planet. So, luxury brands will need to continue to redefine themselves as elevated enablers of social change in order to remain relevant.

We said it before, and we will say it again: Customer centricity has never been more important for luxury brands.

Luxury brands must deliver a timely and timeless form of meaningful value and empower expressions of individual identities.

The future of luxury: 3 macro shifts

We're starting our 2023 luxury trends report this year by looking at three underlying themes that are fundamentally reshaping the global dynamics and the business playbook for luxury brands. We call them macro shifts, and they run across each of the seven trends we've identified for 2023.

As you would expect, these three macros shifts will remain somewhat constant over the coming years.

Online will soon surpass all other luxury sales channels

In a recent study by Google, 73% of consumers described themselves as channel agnostic, assessing with each purchase which channel is most suitable depending on convenience and availability.

After the fast pace growth of the COVID era, online luxury shopping is now cementing its place in the customer journey. Online is on track to be the single biggest sales channel in the coming years, surpassing monobrand retail stores.

One of the key drivers of this shift is the growing importance of monobrand online stores in 2023.

While traditional luxury brands relied heavily on multibrand retailers to sell their products online over the past decade, these brands are now doubling down on their own websites to drive sales. This enables brands to own the customer data and control the entire omnichannel experience.

1/3
of all luxury sales will take place online by 2030.

We saw in 2022 the Richemont Group slowly reversing its acquisition of Yoox Net-a-Porter, and competitor FARFETCH take advantage of the move to consolidate its position internationally. We expect the competition between monobrand and multibrand retailers to intensify in the coming years as luxury brands want a bigger share of the market.

Millennials and Gen Z drive luxury growth at accelerating rates, with Gen Alpha fast approaching

Millennials and Gen Z accounted for the entire growth of the global luxury market in 2022 according to Bain and Altagamma's latest study.

Younger generations will continue to assert their position as critical growth levers for the luxury sector in 2023.

And this generational shift will only accelerate in the coming years:

Gen Z and Gen Alpha's luxury spending is expected to grow three times faster than other generations.

Perhaps thanks to luxury brands' expanded portfolio of teenage-appealing products (think sneakers and activewear) at multi-price points and digitally-driven communication strategies, Gen Z shoppers purchase luxury items three to five years earlier than millennial predecessors.

The outpour of brand collaborations demonstrates the importance of these younger cohorts for luxury houses. From the now common streetwear/sportswear and luxe collaborations (i.e. Gucci x Palace, Dior x ERL, Louis Vuitton x Nike, Jacquemus x Nike) to more nostalgia-infused cross-branded releases (think Balmain x Barbie or Balmain x Pokémon).

But mixed feelings about the latest Gucci x Dickies might be a gentle reminder to watch out for brand dilution and customers' fatigue as luxury brands start to stretch themselves too thin.

Some brands might have gone, dare we say it, too far in their popularization over the years. Instead, luxury should be curated to achieve better standards of living rather than overwhelming consumers with limitless options.

Beyond China-Asia is becoming wealthier

Chinese consumers are still expected to drive an influx in spending. It is forecasted they will make up 40% of the global luxury market in 2030 (vs. 50% by 2025 previously reported by consultancy firm Bain & Co).

Notably, consumers in other Asian countries are becoming wealthier, including India and Indonesia.

40%
of global luxury sales will be made by Chinese consumers by 2030

With actress Deepika Padukone becoming the first ever Indian "House Ambassador" for Louis Vuitton in May 2022, it appears that luxury brands are indeed making moves.

In November 2022, Indian fashion retail company Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) entered a strategic partnership with French luxury department store chain Galeries Lafayette to open luxury outlets, as well as a dedicated e-commerce platform in India.

"India's luxury market is forecasted to expand to 3.5 times today's size by 2030"- and definitely a country to watch for luxury brands.

7 luxury trends that will shape 2023

Let's now take a closer look at the seven most important trends that will shape the global luxury industry in 2023.

Here are the seven most important luxury trends to consider in 2023.

In-house Resale: Second-hand luxury becomes first-class priority

The very essence (timelessness, enduring desirability, durability, and in some cases, scarcity) of luxury goods makes it particularly well-suited for the resale market.

Resale has been rising for some years. Increasingly, affluent consumers are seeing resale as a way to shop sustainably (and brands as a way to boost their sustainability credentials).

And now that some of the most traditional luxury brands are embracing resale, it might actually be more than a trend-it's a new reality. Rolex launching its Certified Pre-Owned program is a prime example of major luxury players (finally) wanting to take control of their second-hand markets (data, dollars, and experience).

Lifestyle and luxury brands ranging from Cuyana to Balenciaga and Gucci are increasingly launching their own resale programs, often housed on their brand website.

While others are exploring new models for the sale of vintage pieces. In November 2022, LVMH, for example, launched Heristoria.com, a hyper-curated luxury sales platform entirely dedicated to the luxury group's archive items. Each item has its own special history and is sold with an exclusive in-person experience.

As luxury brands increasingly bring the resale process in-house, it will be interesting to see how online marketplaces like The RealReal and Vestiaire Collective will play.

Utility NFTs: Practical applications and real-world value

Luxury brands are expected to be deeply rooted in craftsmanship yet fueled by innovation. So despite the highly mediatic fall of cryptos in 2022, we think an increasing amount of innovative NFT luxury projects will appear in 2023. Going beyond speculation, luxury brands will leverage blockchains to experiment with real utilities of virtual ownership and authentication of physical goods.

From Prada Timecapsule NFT series to Tiffany's Cryptopunk 'NFTiff' pendants, 2022 saw luxury brands warming up to the idea of non-fungible tokens, but 2023 is poised to see more NFTs offering tangible functions with new emerging business models.

With NFTs now available to share, sell, and buy on Instagram, the format is poised to become more understood and adopted.

Take a look at the business model of companies such as Courtyard and Wiv to get a glimpse at how the space might evolve. They both use a blockchain to tokenize physical goods that are safely stored away. This enables owners to easily collect and trade physical valuables. The NFT can then be burned to redeem the physical good at any point in the future.

The wealthiest 2% of global consumers accounted for 40% of luxury spending in 2022, compared with 35% in 2009 according to analysts at Bain & Co. And these ultra-wealthy individuals will likely keep on spending in times of economic hardship.

On the other hand, we expect aspirational luxury consumers to reduce their spending in 2023 as recession looms across the world. As a result, competition among luxury brands to earn the attention of the ultra-luxury shoppers will heat up in 2023.

Gucci already started to realign its design philosophy with the departure of long-time Creative Director Alessandro Michele, who spearheaded a streetwear-infused, maximalist movement to attract younger aspiring consumers.

In 2022, Balenciaga opened its one-of-a-kind Couture Store dedicated to its high-fashion for High Net Worth Individuals in Paris-A space that goes beyond the salons reserved for client fittings to offer the finest services, with rare and unique products, at a historical address. And Chanel is planning to open Private Boutiques that cater exclusively to its top-spending clientele, with the first round set to open in Asia this year.

We can expect to see more luxury brands follow suit and further invest in exclusive experiences for their top spending clients in 2023.

Me-taverse: Virtual influencers and phygital identities in the Metaverse

Luxury is redefining the way we experience our world. And that means a growing sense of phygital fluidity and bolder moves towards more seamless multidimensional virtual realities.

The gaming habits of younger generations and would-be luxury shoppers, especially in Asia, form the perfect foundation for virtual influencers. And the metaverse offers new opportunities for these virtual influencers to thrive.

The metaverse will also present opportunities for luxury brands to empower individual identities beyond physical appearances or IRL interactions.

With Apple expected to unveil its first mixed reality headset in 2023, the door for mass consumers to experience the virtual world will be wide open. It will take several years for brands to develop robust and exciting experiences, and for consumers to fully embrace the technology. But, we think the metaverse (defined broadly as virtual and augmented reality experiences) will prove to be a strong growth area for luxury brands capable of leveraging the platforms.

Feel-Good Investments: Luxury goods as financial assets and investments in oneself

Wellness ambitions have been transforming luxury for some time now, and the past years have contributed to deepening this force. Affluent consumers are increasingly viewing luxury goods as long-term investments-financially but also as investments in themselves as individuals (think well-being and betterment). Our predictions are that luxury will focus on the experiential as people are chasing after fulfilling experiences for fuller lives (driven in parts by the You Only Live Once culture).

Investing in luxury goods is also becoming a way for people to invest in alternative value-holding assets beyond traditional investments like gold or diamonds.

Rolex watches, high-statement luxury sneakers like Jordans, fine wines, and designer bags (the likes of Hermès Birkins, Chanel bags, and Louis Vuitton handbags; especially now that these top legacy luxury houses raise prices and tighten distribution) tend to hold their value over time and even appreciate in value, making them all the more enticing for affluent consumers looking to invest in luxury.

There's one key caution to keep in mind, however: the authenticity of the goods. Investments in blockchain technology, in particular, are an interesting approach to improving the authentication process. Common standards are yet to be developed collaboratively for this new technology to be truly effective at scale, though.

Luxury constellations, rising stars, and "fading stars"

The gap is widening between the luxury brands that are parts of groups like LVMH, Kering, and Richemont and the smaller, independent heritage luxury players. So, we can expect to see more acquisitions and new partnership models crystallize.

With less money available on the market, investors will be cautious about their bets in 2023.

We think that heritage brands that have either not managed to remain relevant or to run their operations with a profit will be at risk. Storied luxury brands such as now-Chinese-backed Lanvin will have to adapt and prove their worth beyond their historical legacy.

We expect to see more of these heritage brands be acquired by international groups to be repurposed after the recession. Mercedes-Benz 's approach with Maybach is the model that we have in mind for some of these brands, whereas a competitor will purchase the legacy company mostly for its brand equity, not its current operations.

New luxury frontiers: Branded experience, expanded

Over the years, personal goods luxury brands have been extending their portfolio, from activewear to beauty to homeware and even hotels (i.e, Armani Hotels and The Palazzo Versace Luxury Hotels and Resorts), with various degrees of success. But we can expect to see brands expanding even further, including in F&B experiences.

In 2022 alone, Ralph Lauren opened several Ralph's Coffees and, more notably, APAC's first Ralph's Bar in China's Tier 1 city Chengdu. Maison Margiela unveiled its first café in Chengdu, then in South Korea. Dior opened its restaurant, Monsieur Dior, in its Avenue Montaigne store in Paris. And Louis Vuitton opened The Hall, its first standalone restaurant in the world, in Chengdu. The LVMH-owned luxury Maison is also set to open its world's first dedicated furniture and homewares store in Shanghai, showcasing that brands are planning to expand further into lifestyle offerings, be it in pop-up or permanent locations.

1. Year in Search 2022, Google Trends, December 2022.

2. Growth continues at the same pace, LVMH, October 11, 2022

3. 4 trends that will define the future of luxury and fashion, by Vincenzo Riili and Linda Bezze, Google, November 2022.

4. Richemont Comes to Its Senses on Net-a-Porter, by Andrea Felsted, Bloomberg, August 24, 2022.

5. Bain and Altagamma Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study Fall 2022 - 21st Edition, by Claudia D'arpizio and Federica Levato, November 15, 2022.

6. Major Gucci Shake-Up as Designer Steps Down, by Elizabeth Paton and Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times, November 23, 2022.

7. Balenciaga to Open Paris 'Couture Store'by Tamison O'Connor and Lauren Sherman, The Business Of Fashion, July 1, 2022.

8. Luxury brands brace for a 2023 slowdown, by Lauren Indvik, Financial Times, December 29, 2022.

Images byAman Hotels

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The Future Of Luxury: 7 Trends To Stay Ahead In 2023

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An insightful look at the future of luxury. Discover the fundamental trends that will shape the world of luxury in 2023.

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She's an incredible woman

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Dream today, travel tomorrow

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Circular retail

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news articles

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news articles

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Censuswide survey on fast fashion

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Circular economy principles provide an opportunity for retailers to increase both their attractiveness and deepen their connection with their customers.

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Consumers are asking far more of retailers than ever before, fueled by the demands of modern lifestyles and changing needs. Whether consumers even will want to buy as much as they have in the past is brought into question by the fact that the average American already has $7,000 of unused goods in his or her home, leading many to suggest that we may have already reached "peak stuff."

Consumers are also increasingly putting considerations of sustainability at the heart of their purchasing decisions, coupled with the ever-growing competitiveness of online shopping, which is putting pressure on retailers to become essential enablers for the betterment of their customers' lives rather than merely suppliers of "stuff."

Circular economy principles provide an opportunity for retailers to increase both their attractiveness and deepen their connection with their customers.

Circular economy principles provide an opportunity for retailers to increase both their attractiveness and deepen their connection with their customers. In the circular economy, products are kept in use for as long as possible through multiple "service lives," maximum value is extracted from them while in use, and the materials in them are then recovered and regenerated at the end of each life.
Dell and Apple are two examples of companies that are helping put this idea into practice.

For example, Dell is diverting plastics that otherwise might go into the ocean to be used as part of a new packaging system for the XPS 13 2-In-1 laptop globally. Apple is investing heavily in robotics to disassemble and recover valuable materials inside. Its newest robot, Daisy, can disassemble up to 200 iPhones an hour. It separates parts and removes certain components as it goes.

Implementing circular economy initiatives effectively and consistently can be good for business, good for society and good for the environment. PA recently published a report, "Keeping Customer Connections," based on research conducted by Cranfield University and Arizona State University. We found that retailers that participate in the circular economy through instituting programs that make it easier for customers to sell, donate or recycle items can experience significant and sustainable increases in customer loyalty. Indeed, over two-thirds of consumers would resell a product (specifically apparel and electronic goods) if their retailer provided a service to do so.

This is an exciting opportunity for retailers. It means that consumers want to maintain a relationship for months or even years after they made their original purchase, thereby creating opportunities to generate additional income and sales.

So, if retailers want - as we believe they should - to explore the opportunities offered by the circular economy, where should they start? Our view is that pilots are the key. The disruptive business models and technologies underpinning circular economy initiatives need to be tested in an agile, rapid way - allowing maximum opportunity for learning and minimizing risk.

First, s tart with a customer problem and involve your customers in refining it. Danish company Vigga is a great example of listening to your customer needs and creating solutions to meet them. The problem it looked to solve is one felt by every new parent: Your child is not even 4 months old and already has outgrown two rounds of clothing sizes. Vigga provides baby clothes and maternity wear on a subscription model. Parents exchange clothes when they are outgrown, avoiding unnecessary cost and waste.

Second, embrace partnerships. Many circular economy initiatives effectively can be implemented only by engaging with a number of participants across the value chain. For example,H&M partners with a clothing collection company to assist with sorting and recycling garments their customers drop off. However, collaborating often can seem daunting in a highly competitive sector, so look to also test collaborations when piloting technologies and business models.

Collaborating often can seem daunting in a highly competitive sector, so look to also test collaborations when piloting technologies and business models.

Third, find the right language to talk about the circular economy. Research shows that even small changes in language, such as moving from the term "leasing" to describing something as a "club," can create far more appeal and ultimately uptake with consumers.

Finally, scale fast. When you hit upon a winning idea, be prepared to scale it quickly. There is real potential for differentiation and building your brand and customer base when you are an early mover. Recognize that circular economy can be difficult to "bolt on" to business as usual, so be prepared to look at creating internal ventures, setting different incentives and breaking down silos.

Circular opportunities are often cross-cutting, requiring new ways of working across the retail enterprise, including merchandising, marketing, logistics and operations. But the buzz of excitement that goes with them is often infectious, garnering massive engagement from staff and customers.

What is clear is that this market is developing rapidly and there are clear competitive advantages to be gained by those able to effectively implement circular economy initiatives that deepen shopper engagement. The Real Real , for example, aims to become the first $1 billion circular economy company, through reselling luxury goods - and they are not far from achieving it.

The message is clear: Circular economy principles can deliver meaningful benefits valued by shoppers and greater revenues to business, and if existing retailers don't realize these opportunities, emerging innovators will.

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How retailers can compete using circular economy principles | Greenbiz

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Consumers are asking far more of retailers than ever before, fueled by the demands of modern lifestyles and changing needs. Whether consumers even will want to buy as much as they have in the past is brought into question by the fact that the average American already has $7,000 of unused goods in his or her home, leading many to suggest that we may have already reached "peak stuff."

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Davis, J., 2020. How Are Luxury Retailers Taking On Sustainability?. [online] Harper's BAZAAR. Available at: <https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/a29386990/luxury-retailers-sustainability/> [Accessed 27 April 2020].

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We all know the scary statistic: fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world after oil. As we become more knowledgeable about how it came to this, it's easy to point the finger at fast-fashion for the damage caused to our planet.

Luxury brands have an advantage over fast-fashion companies - their products are purchased for longevity, rather than being temporary and disposable like their inexpensive counterparts.

Our favourite online luxury fashion destinations, Net-a-Porter, Matches Fashion, Selfridges and Browns, have all chosen to make sustainability more visible on their respective websites, proving that there's an obvious demand for it. Customers want transparency when it comes to what they're buying and retailers are catering to this shift in numerous ways.

According to Selfridges, more than 60 per cent of its customers want to shop sustainably and 90 per cent want to buy less, but better - while the social and environmental impact of a purchase was found to be important for 84 per cent. At Matches Fashion, 60 per cent of shoppers are trying to live as sustainably as possible.

Change is coming

This summer, 32 companies - spanning fast-fashion and luxury fashion brands - signed the fashion pact, including household names such as Chanel, Ralph Lauren and Prada, as well as the H&M Group and Zara. The pledge promised to combat greenhouse gasses and emphasise sustainability in the industry.

It represented a key step in how the fashion industry plans to help play its part in saving the planet. Without this action, the industry could account for a quarter of the world's carbon budget by 2050.

"The fashion pact was a historic moment, marking a real coming together to acknowledge our collective role in tackling the environmental crisis our planet faces and the power of a collaborative approach," explains Daniella Vega, Selfridges director of sustainability and one of the agreement's many signatories.

"It's all about leading the way as a business, as well as showing customers how to make more sustainable choices, and we back that up with action. Signing a pact is one thing - taking meaningful steps to deliver on these commitments is another."

Matches Fashion argues that the change has already started. "The way in which brands and companies are being run has already begun to change for the better, and we are seeing a shift in priorities across the fashion industry," says the retailer's chief brand officer Jess Christie. There's still a long way to go for most brands to run sustainable businesses, but we are finally moving in the right direction.

"Every bit counts when it comes to our planet, so I hope they [designers] can all come together on this journey - it's not a trend nor a race," says Ida Petersson, menswear and womenswear buying director at Browns.

What retailers are doing

The luxury retail market has chosen to make sustainability more prominent on e-commerce sites through tailored edits; there's obviously a demand for it, one which continues to grow.

Browns says it needs to be easy for consumers to shop its curated conscious collections. "It's there to help guide our customers and also to allow them to make an informed choice without having to spend hours searching through the respective brand's manifesto," Petersson explains.

Elizabeth von der Goltz, global buying director at Net-a-Porter, previously explained how the company is hoping to inspire a positive change in the industry: "Our aim is to give a voice to the brands that are truly making positive changes by providing them with a platform to highlight their best practice."

Matches Fashion's Jess Christie explains how ongoing work with Eco Age is helping the business become more sustainable. "We feel [sustainability] is imperative for the industry as a whole and something that all companies have a responsibility to address."

How shoppers are behaving

Essentially, it seems that shoppers are shifting away from buying frivolously towards investing wisely - quantity is out and quality is in. "We have seen our customers moving away from the easy 'Insta-ready' entry level items to investment purchases, most notably in forever bags from brands like Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent." Christie continues. "This styles are proving almost impossible to hold in stock."

"There has also been a general shift from the easy-purchase logo tee or hoodie to pieces that are manufactured to last, which means our average basket values are actually going up."

Investing in key pieces isn't the only way consumers can go greener. Second-hand fashion is set to surge in the coming years, which could overtake the fast-fashion market by 2029.

Many luxury retailers are embracing second-hand initiatives. Farfetch announced its collaboration with Thrift+ this year, an on-demand donation service for pre-owned clothes. Shoppers can order a Thrift+ x Farfetch donation bag and proceeds go to charity and back to the customer as Farfetch credit.

The rise of circular fashion

This feeds into one of the main themes of sustainability - circular fashion, an economic system aimed at minimising waste and making the most of resources. It challenges fashion's linear production line that ends with clothes being discarded in landfill. "The future of fashion is circular. It has to be," Stella McCartney, sustainability pioneer, previously told us. "Right now, the equivalent of one dump truck of textiles gets landfilled or burned every second, and by 2025 the clothing waste accumulated between now and then will weigh as much as today's world population. We can't ignore it."

As the focus on moving towards a circular economy grows, vintage has grown in popularity. Matches Fashion capitalised on this via a partnership with second-hand favourite, William Vintage. "We chose to partner with William Vintage as one of the most globally renowned and trusted purveyors of vintage fashion and the collection has sold incredibly well," Christie told us. "It offers something unique to our customer - one-off pieces that no one else will have which is something our customer looks for."

While there's still a huge way to go, many are pledging for change. Selfridges plans to reduce carbon emissions by 15 per cent next year, Browns promises a more transparent production line and Matches Fashion has rethought its packaging to reduce its carbon footprint.

These are significant plans which all point to sustainability being the new normal, not a trend. Here's hoping it's a sign of things to come as we enter a new decade.

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How are luxury retailers taking on sustainability?

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We all know the scary statistic: fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world after oil. As we become more knowledgeable about how it came to this, it's easy to point the finger at fast-fashion for the damage caused to our planet.

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Bayley, S., 2019. Survey Shows Brits Spend Nearly £3 Billion On Outfits Only Worn Once. [online] Evening Standard. Available at: <https://www.standard.co.uk/futurelondon/theplasticfreeproject/fast-fashion-holiday-outfits-landfill-barnardos-a4187886.html> [Accessed 27 April 2020].

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We all know the drill - the holidays are coming up, and we're due a trip to the nearest shopping centre to stock up on new bikinis, shirts, shorts and hats ready for that summer photo album.

But new research reveals that Brits are expected to spend nearly £3 billion on outfits that will only be worn once this summer in a damning survey on the environmental impact of fast fashion.

The survey conducted by Censuswide for the charity Barnardo's showed Brit's spend over £700 million on outfits bought purely for holidays, and that a quarter were embarrassed to wear an outfit to a special occasion more than once.

Outfits for festivals, BBQs and balls also topped the list for fast summer fashion.

This is despite the environmental cost of making new outfits and likelihood of them ending up in landfill.

The waste charity WRAP estimates £140 million worth of clothing goes into landfill each year, and that the annual footprint of a household's newly bought clothing, along with its washing and cleaning, was equivalent to carbon emissions from driving an average modern car for 6,000 miles.

In the UK, the average lifetime for a garment of clothing is estimated to be 2.2 years, but extending this by just nine months can significantly reduce its environmental impact, according to WRAP.

Barnardo's are now campaigning for more people to turn to charity shops for their summer clothes, but you can also reduce your impact by:

Paying close attention to washing instructions and care information. Wash at a lower temperature, and less often, as Stella McCartney has suggested.

Wearing the same item more often as part of different outfits

Designing features such as new cuts and hidden elastic to add comfort and style to old clothes.

Even if your clothes are ruined, and unable to go to a charity shop, they can still go into a textile recycling bank. Socks, pants, and old curtains can all be re-used.

Manufacturers are also being encouraged to use more resilient fabrics, dyes and colours, promoting sustainable cotton, and avoiding the production of fibre through polymer extrusion and promoting fibre to fibre recycling.

Barnardo's chief executive Javed Khan said: "Choosing to buy pre-loved clothes for a special occasion from a Barnardo's shop means you don't have to worry about bumping into someone wearing the same outfit.

"It is also kinder to the environment and your wallet, getting more wear out of clothes which might otherwise only be worn once and end up in landfill.

"Buying from Barnardo's also means you will be helping to transform the lives of vulnerable children across the UK."

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Survey shows Brits spend nearly £3 billion on outfits only worn once

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We all know the drill - the holidays are coming up, and we're due a trip to the nearest shopping centre to stock up on new bikinis, shirts, shorts and hats ready for that summer photo album.

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LVMH's latest move to partner with designer Stella McCartney signalled a wider move in the luxury industry to support sustainability and make it aspirational. Brands, both big and small, luxury and mass, will have to follow suit, explains Diana Verde Nieto.
Sustainability often seems like a high street buzzword, the antithesis to the perils of fast fashion that so often dominate the conversation. But when luxury brands announce moves that solidify their commitments to sustainability, we're reminded that this is the segment of the market that makes the biggest waves.

Stella McCartney's deal with LVMH is the latest piece of that news, and it represents a big shift for both. Up until March of last year, luxury giant Kering owned a 50 percent stake in McCartney's eponymous label, and it was a place that nurtured the designer's values - she avoided textiles like leather and fur, and opted for eco-friendly designs, like her glue-free trainers.

Even so, after 17 years with Kering, McCartney decided to buy their half of her brand back, stating that she was keen to have complete control. By all accounts, it appeared to be an amicable split, and it makes sense that McCartney would want to be the primary owner of her brand. It bears her name, after all. And when I think of that name, I think about the designer's commitment to both luxury and sustainability in equal parts.

Since she launched her label in 2001, long before sustainability had taken off the way it has now, she translated her vegetarian habits into ones she could apply to her clothing and accessories. That meant respecting animals and the planet through every step of her supply chain, and it all lead her brand to become the gold standard in conscious, high-end fashion. Even so, she's not often politically outspoken, letting her brand's actions and its mission and do the talking.

And the latest action for Stella McCartney is partnering with LVMH. The fashion conglomerate is both taking ownership of 10 percent of McCartney's business, and naming her a special adviser on sustainable development policies to the head of the company, Bernard Arnault. This is a bold move for LVMH - not so much the acquisition of part of McCartney's business, but the appointment as an advisor to Arnault to have the "Stella effect" run through all the Houses within the group.

This is a true partnership where collaboration and know-how transcend beyond the ownership of a minority stake of a luxury house. For LVMH, this partnership is quite clearly about highlighting LVMH's commitment to sustainability, and keeping up with the growing consumer trends towards knowing exactly what it took to make the pieces of clothing they're buying. McCartney is heralded as one of the first designers to champion ethical production, after all, so who better to put their name behind?

LVMH isn't new to sustainability, though. More than a dozen of their brands including Louis Vuitton, Krug Champagne, Belvedere Vodka and Gabriella Hearst have Positive Luxury's seal of approval - the Butterfly Mark - after all. Taking Stella McCartney on is another way for them to reaffirm their long-term dedication to sustainability.

Arnault made it quite clear that one of the drives for the acquisition was "that [McCartney] was the first to put sustainability and ethical issues on the front stage, very early on, and built her house around these constraints. It emphasises LVMH Groups' commitment to sustainability."

LVMH and Kering aren't the only luxury conglomerates focussing on sustainability - it is a smart business move that's good for the planet, after all. L'Oréal, with stand-out brands like Biotherm, YSL Beauty and Kiehl's, has reduced the carbon emissions of their plants by 77 percent since 2005, and 79 percent of the products they launched last year have an improved social or environmental profile. Richemont, another major luxury player behind brands like IWC Schaffhausen, Baume and Montblanc, obtains more than 95 percent of their gold and diamonds from sources that are Responsible Jewellery Council-certified.

With massive conglomerates putting their money behind these kinds of initiatives, and partnerships with brands like Stella McCartney, supports the fact that the luxury market as a whole is valuing sustainability and making it aspirational. And it highlights the idea that doing more when it comes to protecting the planet will be a driver for business. Brands, both big and small, luxury and mass, will have to follow suit.

Consumers are demanding this shift, too. According to research conducted by management consultancy Bain & Co, 89 percent of consumers expect brands to publicly communicate their sustainable actions, especially in the luxury sector, and 56 percent see social and environmental impact as a mainstream, cross-generational issue - it's not just about what millennials want anymore. As consumers become more and more aware of the detrimental effects that fashion can have on the environment, their habits are clearly shifting to support brands that recognise these facts. That means authenticity, transparency and communication are more important than ever before.

The conversation about sustainability often leads to one about mass production from fast fashion companies, ripping trends from the runways and churning them out at the lowest cost possible. But the luxury market has an equally important, if not more important, role to play. As designers produce the clothing that will influence seasonal trends, so too can they influence the way that clothing is produced.

When luxury brands like LVMH take measured steps that acknowledge this power they have, it shows that they understand the value of sustainability both from a business perspective and from an ethical one. Consumers want beautiful clothing and accessories, but they don't want them at the expense of the planet's future, and the fashion industry has to fall in line. Stella McCartney knows this, and evidently, so does LVMH.

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Why Supporting Sustainability Is Key For The Luxury Industry

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LVMH's latest move to partner with designer Stella McCartney signalled a wider move in the luxury industry to support sustainability and make it aspirational. Brands, both big and small, luxury and mass, will have to follow suit, explains Diana Verde Nieto.

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Luggage free travel trend.