1. How will e-commerce influence the fashion industry in the future?
From sharing invoices, order forms and shipping confirmation between businesses in
the 1960’s to the life changing (yes, life changing) platform it has become today, e-
commerce by definition refers to the buying or selling of [commercial] goods and
services over the Internet. According to sites like eMarketer and Lemonstand, it is
‘the only trillion-dollar market expected to grow at double digit rates for the
foreseeable future’ – yet it is a market that is still in its infancy. So for an industry as
big as fashion to already be affected by it so much, it begs the question ‘what next?’.
Well for starters, there is no going back. Online shopping has become a fundamental
part of 21st
Century life and for many, it is what can only be described as a savior in a
world filled with ever busier lifestyles. The consumer is no longer constrained by the
aspect of time, nor are they limited by the physical barriers of the [geographical]
border. The fact that people can ‘e-shop’ in their pants, free from the judge-y eyes of
the [INSERT SHOP OF CHOICE HERE] que and empowered by the gift that is the
Internet to ‘shop around’ without getting blisters or arguments at the end of the day,
are just a bonus. Who knew the introduction of Amazon and eBay in the 1990’s were
just the beginnings of a new consumption era which, thanks to the rapid
development of technology, has continued to evolve and, ironically, consume us.
From fashion buyer L. V. Leeuwen’s perspective, e-commerce will definitely continue
to have ‘a large influence in terms of fast fashion and meeting the increasing
demands of the customer’. With 70% of the global population predicted to own a
smartphone by 2020, according to the 2015 Ericsson report, it is no surprise that e-
commerce is gaining speed. When it comes to fashion, the consumer is faced with a
constant feed of images; whether it be Kylie Jenner’s new thigh high, camel boots or
a piece streamed live from the catwalk, we see it almost, if not, instantly and expect
it to be available in stores the next day. It is an expectation that has been fulfilled for
the last several years by fast fashion chains like Primark and Topshop, but it has also
lead to the unsustainable process that takes place in order to meet this unrealistic
and growing demand for more. The time it takes for a trend to reach the high street
from the catwalk is already extremely short, so this notion of ‘faster fashion’ is
something that should not be taken lightly. According to sustainability charity WRAP,
350,000 tons of fast fashion pieces goes into landfill each year. This does not include
the increasing amount of usable yet disregarded material that is left on factory
floors. A world that incorporates ‘faster fashion’ within it could make situations like
severe drought, species extinction and rising emissions a reality a lot sooner than
anticipated.
However, with changes like the ‘see now, buy now’ approach being adopted by the
likes of Balmain and Paco Rabane, it is clear now more than ever that trends in e-
commerce are quickly reflected in the industry. Brands are much more aware of

2. consumer behavior and are able to react accordingly. This shows just how powerful
e-commerce has allowed the consumer to become, but, as the saying goes, ‘with all
great power comes great responsibility’. With growing interest in the ethics of
fashion amongst the likes of Millennials and Gen Z, movements like #Who Made My
Clothes (#WMMC), which is a part of Fashion Revolution Day, are becoming
increasingly popular. Social networking apps like Instagram and Snapchat are just a
few of the tools enabling the consumer to create dialogues with the Industry and
challenge its practices, e.g. Armani’s decision to ditch the use of real fur as the need
to lead a more considerate and eco-friendly lifestyle becomes more embedded in the
consumer.
In a recent talk at Ravensbourne, Orsola De Castro, the co-founder of Fashion
Revolution Day, said that the #WMMC ‘is about reclaiming the industry’ and
‘changing the buying habits’ of both current and future generations. She stated
that ‘we [the consumer] are the solution to the problems of the old world’, before
going on to reference [cultural anthropologist] Margaret Meade and the idea that
the ‘fashion Industry is young and has so much potential we just have to take it
now’. So far, her cause has gained the attention of fashion designer Stella
McCartney, model/actress Lily Cole and has also been the force behind the new
‘haul-ternative’ vlogger trend. So maybe the buying patterns that brands pick up
on from the e-commerce market will lead to a re-defined fashion industry, where
both buyer and seller alike are more ethically conscious – not hard to imagine in a
time where brands like Burberry and Public School are deciding to merge men’s
and women’s collections, and big designers like RAF Simmons are opting out of the
hectic fashion calendar in order to have more time to spend on designing. This
could mean a return to more creative and experimental fashion, possibly more
influenced by colour and texture as in the same talk with Orsola De Castro, she
mentioned the possibility of fashion becoming more colourful in the wake of e-
commerce as black doesn't sell very well online.
On the other end of the spectrum, e-commerce could bring about an age of
mediocracy. For up and coming designers, it is extremely hard to get their collections
noticed in an industry where the bigger names take precedence on the agenda of the
fashion buyer, thus leaving less money to invest in new brands, and less room for
new brands instore. E-commerce has allowed for design graduates and struggling
designers to overcome issues like these (as well as production costs and finances),
by showcasing themselves in online spaces which can be put together fairly quickly
and, thanks to social media, promoted very easily. Leaving university with an e-
commerce website is something that is becoming increasingly normal and, to some
extent, expected. In a rising sea of online shops, it could be time to consider the
prospect of an e-commerce peak, where brands and sites begin to blur into one. But,
in true ‘find the silver lining’ style, an e-commerce peak could also see creative
thinkers forced to think outside the box in terms of web design and graphics in order
to rise above the rest. In fact, this kind of creativity is already evident with brands like
Machine A launching their online store in collaboration with SHOWstudio. On the

3. site, a 3D scanned, virtual version of the shop itself is available and can be navigated
around by viewers, who are also able to browse through and buy limited edition
‘SHOWstudio x Machine A’ pieces. Viewers are also able to watch interviews going on
in different rooms and listen to music played in the store itself.
As for the old brick and mortar store, it is safe to say that its future remains bright.
Parallel to the growth of the e-commerce market has been the concern over the
existence of the physical shop. However, with the birth of things like the concept
store and the idea of the brand experience, brick and mortar stores are a necessity
for e-commerce methods to succeed. The store is essential for brands when it comes
to monitoring the changes in their market, from identifying new customers to
keeping track of current ones, and it also allows consumers to touch and feel the
product as well as absorb the history or vibe of the brand without the pressure of
buying straight away. As more buying is taking place online, brands also have an
opportunity to transform their shop floors into more immersive, and maybe more
imaginative, environments. In Venice, shoe brand TOMS offers yoga classes, coffee,
and craft nights instore - an approach which has been extended to their branches in
Asia and the US, so the sky really is the limit.
The prospect of virtual reality in the future is also an exciting one. It is still in its early
days but already it has opened up another avenue for brands; with the likes of North
Face and, again, TOMS incorporating the technology into their store experience,
brick and mortar has another reason to be visited. Over time, the virtual reality
headset will undoubtedly become more and more refined and maybe even a
household item. According to recent annual trend report by Ericsson ConsumerLab,
this increased use and interest in artificial intelligence could mean that the
smartphone may become extinct in the western world within five years. By this point
it could very well be ‘v-commerce’, where the store experience takes place in the
comfort of your own home, that will be in use rather than e-commerce. Moreover, it
will also be interesting to see how the ‘phygital’ aspects of e-commerce will develop
in the future combined with this new technology. We have already seen the launch of
popular fashion magazine Porter, created by the online store Net-a-Porter as a rival
to Vogue, so maybe the future of e-commerce lies beyond that of the digital world
and in the world of the physical. Who knows, it may even lie even further than that.
E-comm’ café anyone?
But even after contemplating all of these options, to determine any one outlook for
e-commerce in the future of the fashion industry would be to limit its potential
greatly. At such an early stage in the game, the possibilities surrounding e-
commerce, as well as technology for that matter, are endless. There is an infinite
amount of room for change to happen and also a lot of time to make things a whole
lot more interesting in the industry. Anything is possible - it just takes one idea to get
the ball rolling.