Pioneering as ever, Asos.com is poised to launch its brand new Marketplace just in time for the holiday season. A place where an individual can sell off their own unwanted fashion wares or a store can set up its online space, it’s a timely poke in the eye to Ebay and its increasingly unfriendly attitude to independent sellers. The only stipulation to individual sellers in the Marketplace is the merchandise must be photographed ‘street style’, so none of your dingy still life pics, these need to be styled on a human body, preferably in an interesting way in order to get the most exposure on the Asos site.
Taking its cue from sites like Lookbook.nu, Asos has tapped into the consumers’ desire for wearable styling ideas and personal context. Sellers are encouraged to shoot their pictures in photogenic scenarios to make them as ‘editorial’ looking as possible. The picture/item can be ‘liked’ which will place it highly in searches. The selling process is straightforward. A price is set and payment is made by Paypal with Asos taking 10% of the sale price.
A big draw of the Marketplace will be the ’boutique’ of vintage sellers. Selected vintage retailers can upload their logo and product (again, styled on people in situ) and merchandise their area as they see fit to make the space their own.
For designers and retailers, there is the opportunity to set up shop in the Marketplace. When the site launches (ETA mid-end November), Browns Focus and Faster by Mark Fast wil be among the first retailers/designers with a presence. “We want to help small businesses grow,” I was told by an Asos rep at the press day this morning. “This way we can build a platform that exposes small businesses to our vast database.”
Two weeks ago I was introduced to the delights of Manchester to celebrate its Heart Of Fashion campaign. Aimed at showcasing the fashion offer of the city, I was given a tour of the Northern Quarter (AKA vintage heaven), treated to an audience with Amanda Wakeley at Harvey Nichols and wined and dined in the Harvey Nichols restaurant. In between, I managed to shoe-horn in a three-hour vox pop session with most excellent photographer Jason Lock for a travel mag. During our ‘stylish people of Manchester’ scouting, we spotted the most incredible trio of 70-somethings, straight off the Corrie set (circa 1968). There they were, ‘aving a fag and a mother’s meeting on the street, resplendent in pastel-hued raincoats, shampoo-and-set coiffs and sheer Northern character. And – I swear to God – one of them sported a handful of ghetto-fab nails that put Willow Smith’s 3-D claws to shame. Did we get a photo? Hell no, the poor biddies were camera-shy and ‘running late for bingo’. I could’ve wept.
We drowned our missed photo-op sorrows at Harvey Nichols as local girl, Amanda Wakeley presented her AW10 collection in an animated presentation. Super-luxe leathers, suedes, cashmeres and jerseys, scissored into capes, coats, sculpted jackets and ‘scuba’ dresses, were accompanied by Camilla Skovgaard asymmetric heels. All flattering for all ages and made to last. I was impressed with the attention to detail; Wakeley’s cashmere cardigans are lined in satin and all the stretch pieces are lined in stretch silk so they feel as good as they look. We discussed the commercial side of fashion. Wakeley believes that “in a recession, people buy things that stand out but have a longevity. They want value in the fabric, the make, the cut.” On the subject of fashion and the web, she’s a firm believer (next season Amanda Wakeley will be sold on Net-a-porter.com), but doesn’t think online will kill bricks and mortar. And of the moment Angelina Jolie wore Wakeley’s silver beaded gown to the premiere of Salt, she said, “the follow-up was phenomenal, the blogs went berserk! The power of celebrity and online has surged.”
Following a make-your-own-mojitos session, we feasted on slow-cooked Cheshire beef, truffle gnocchi and baby leeks in the Harvey Nichols restaurant, where I discovered that the best selling labels in the Manchester store are Juicy Couture and Roberto Cavalli. Who said bling is dead? By bedtime, I was truly spent. Thank God then for the Lowry Hotel, who comped me the biggest hotel room I have ever seen – think floor to ceiling river-view windows, a massive bed, ocean-liner size desk, leather chaise longue, plus an entire separate dressing area (makes a change from the usual foot of rail space and two meagre hangers).
It would have been nice to have free in-room wi-fi but luckily I’d come equipped with my mi-fi dongle *smug face*. After an emotional half hour watching the Chilean miners emerge triumphant from their hellhole, I drifted off into a deep and blissful slumber.
Day two involved a tour of some of Manchester’s high end boutiques and stores. Manchester is a city where old and new exist proudly side by side. While 175 year old Kendals is the oldest department store in the world, there was much ado about the Armani store opening in the newly built luxury destination, The Avenue at Spinningfields.
There’s clearly something of a Westwood following in Manchester, judging by the two shops and an Agent Provocateur store (not strictly Westwood I know, but loosely-related). However, the highlight for me was Hervia Bazaar. Owned by the same team who run the Westwood franchises around the country, it stocks an eclectic edit of labels including Rick Owens leathers, Elke Kramer jewellery, Pierre Hardy shoes and bags, A Child of the Jago menswear (see, the Westwood connection again) and Pyrenex outerwear, all beautifully merchandised. The store has also been a great supporter of emerging British labels – unsurprisingly my eyes went straight to the Sibling knitwear…
The new issue of HERO magazine is out, along with its new website. To celebrate, JW Anderson has designed a special limited edition dip-dye tee (only 30 available), with all profits going to Anderson’s chosen charity, Mind. (Note: the tees are made to order so delivery may take a few weeks.) Also, don’t miss the story on JW Anderson’s SS11 collection, including his thoughts on his design process and the business of fashion. It’s a gripping read.
I shouldn’t really be lusting after bags, having just taken delivery of a naughty little Celine tote, but what to do when PRs keep bombarding my inbox with treats like this? Margaret Howell‘s stealth satchels are beautifully made in England by Whitehouse Cox, a Midlands factory specialising in saddlery. The bags are made from vegetable tanned bridle leather which will soften and age with wear. Mmmm… *inhales dramatically*… you can just smell it, can’t you?
These bags are a limited edition, available in all stores in two sizes: £455 for the medium and £255 for the small.