Digital fashion takes Dubai by storm
It started in March when MatchesFashion.com held its Spring preview for media, influencers and VIP customers. At the end of last year, both the New York Times and Women’s Wear Daily (the publication considered the industry’s go to) reported that 2017 was the year of digital fashion. WWD’s headline shouted, “Digital
Retail Steals the Fashion Spotlight: The likes of Matchesfashion.com, Yoox Net- a-Porter, Farfetch and Moda Operandi were the sure winners”. And these very four e-retailers have been holding special events in Dubai over the past month or so to ensure that the Middle East is very much a part of their “win”. PricewaterhouseCoopers, Total Retail 2017, Middle East report stated: “There is a significant opportunity for Middle Eastern e-retailers to further develop and enhance the convenience of their service.” And I could not agree more.
I am not a big online shopper, especially when it comes to high end fashion. Growing up in London, Matches Fashion was one of my to-go stores. Its living room feel and ‘on point’ edit made the whole experience so pleasurable. Hence it’s no surprise that my online purchases are most often from MatchesFashion. Starting with the personal shopping service, they make the whole experience extra special.
Moda Operandi’s co-founder Lauren Santo Domingo was in town and she is a woman whose style I have always admired. In fact, Moda Operandi was the first website to introduce the pre-tailer concept. (This is when you can pre-order looks directly from the runway).
And straight after the event, a London-based Moda Operandi personal shopper messaged me offering help with my shopping. That’s all it took to make me
I am not a big online shopper, especially when it comes to high end fashion. Growing up in London, Matches Fashion was one of my to-go stores feel special. Yes, I tried the site, but I should say I prefer the MatchesFashion service — well, it’s quicker and just more personal.
Last week it was Farfetch’s turn to give the Middle East some special love. Farfetch is an online marketplace working with over 880 independent fashion boutiques from all over the world (such as Dubai’s The cARTel) as well as niche designer brands. With a tag line ‘For the Love of Fashion’ they hosted a soirée in a purpose-built structure just a stone’s throw from the Dubai Opera. The centerpiece to the party was a unique art installation created in collaboration with ‘calligraffiti’ artist eL Seed. Farfetch has worked with the French-Tunisian artist to create three one-of- a-kind sculptures that have been placed at key locations such as Dubai Design District. But the real purpose of this party was to announce the launch of their Arabic website. (The company has recently signed a joint venture with Dubai-based Chalhoub Group).
Of course, the original player is Net-a-Porter whose connect to this region came about when Mohamed Alabbar’s Symphony Investments signed a joint venture last year with Yoox Net-a-Porter. Neta-Porter’s President, Alison Loehnis, hosted a dinner last week for influencers and key media personnel to launch their exclusive Ramadan collection. Thanks to their local partners, I expect both these sites to do more localised and community building activities in the region. I do like both their edits, and the fact that I now do some window shopping on both sites means, perhaps, one day I’ll click on the ‘Add to the Shopping Bag’ button.