If you've been following any of the conversations around the State of Fashion from the past year, you're probably familiar with the idea of See Now Buy Now, in which fashion brands sell parts or all of a collection in stores and online immediately following its debut on the runway.
This is a big deal for the industry mostly because it could upend the entire fashion system. Historically, shoppers have had to wait months for a runway collection to hit stores. But in an age of See Now Buy Now, a shopper could theoretically stream a show on her phone (Yeezy on TIDAL anyone?) and hours later, click to purchase. Fast fashion would no longer be a concept limited to the high street, everyone would effectively be doing it.
After seasons of experimentation and flirtation, in which brands released pieces for sale direct from the runway in small numbers, the shift is finally happening on a (somewhat) bigger scale. In truth, the fashion chatter about runway-to-retail is far bigger than the number of brands who are actually making their collections immediately shoppable. No matter, from Burberry to Tommy Hilfiger, you'll be hearing us talk about See Now Buy Now a lot this month. But the big question is, will shoppers actually buy into it? Here, a rolling month-long guide to what exactly will be for sale, starting with New York Fashion Week and going all the way through London, Milan and Paris. Happy shopping.
LONDON
Topshop
In its first direct-to-consumer collection, the clothes featured on the runway will be available to shop immediately after the show finale on September 18. Look for the drop at a pop-up store in the Topshop LFW show space, as well as in the flagship store on Oxford Street and online at Topshop.com.
Burberry
An early-adopter in this area, Burberry was the first big global brand to experiment with a shoppable runway. And so all eyes will be on the brand when they firmly commit to the concept in an elaborate multimedia shopping experience.
Set to take place on a runway in a new venue, Makers House, where the event will be streamed live, the show will be the grand finale of sorts to a year's worth of media coverage about the move and collective speculation about what it will mean for the entire fashion industry.
Having formally done away with the concept of autumn/winter and spring/summer, the brand is simply calling the line-up, the September collection, and will make all 250 pieces that make up 83 men's and women's runway looks available in stores across more than 100 countries with a series of special events to promote the milestone including a public runway display, a series of theatrical readings, a fashion history lesson from the Burberry archival team, and more.
For those who prefer to do their shopping online, the brand will be rolling out customer service, exclusive merch drops and special filters across Facebook Messenger, WeChat and Snapchat respectively.
And best of all, we've shot the new collection for the October issue of ELLE, showing you how to style it. Look for the issue on newsstands the day following the show.
Preen
Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi are dipping a toe into the pool of runway-to-consumer shows by making three total looks from its SS17 show available to buy on their ecomm site, Preenbythorntonbregazzi.com.
NEW YORK
Fenty x Puma
Rihanna skipped the catwalk and went straight to store. Turning the release of her latest Puma collaboration into an elaborate launch event spanning New York department stores, Footlocker concept shops, and Puma.com
Tom Ford
After kicking off the week of fashion last night, Tom Ford's autumn collection is now available on Net-a-Porter.
Tommy Hilfiger
Hilfiger released his aw16 collection in a splashy in-season fashion show, the first ever for the brand. And it had all the talking points: Gigi Hadid (the TommyxGigi collection was among the designs on sale), a consumer-facing story (the show was open to the public), and a carnival (complete with a 40-foot ferris wheel!) Using the hashtag, #TOMMMYNOW, the extravaganza took place on Manhattan's Pier 16 with a runway show and surrounding pop-up shops. The following day, a big shopping party followed at the same location. The entire collection sis now available in stores and on tommy.com.
Rebecca Minkoff
After debuting her first runway-to-retail collection last season, Rebecca showed her fall collection in her flagship store and livestreamed it on her ecomm site, making it all the easier for consumers to shop it immediately afterward.
Club Monaco
The popular Canadian label turned its first ever NYFW presentation into a shoppable happening, with featured pieces going on sale in stores and its website immediately following the show.
Ralph Lauren
he biggest American brand yet to commit to See Now, Buy Now, Ralph Lauren showed his collection in front of his flagship store, where the new clothes are already on sale. 'For me this is the ultimate expression of luxury - offering you every look, every accessory, every handmade detail immediately in my flagship stores around the world and online,' Lauren said in a statement. 'You are changing the way you live and the way you want to shop, and we are changing with you and for you.' We are indeed.
Hugo Boss
Inching into this Brave New World piece by piece, the SS17 BOSS show featured a bag available to buy in four colours on hugoboss.com and selected stores the world over.
