They were slow to begin selling their goods online, seeing it as the domain of teenagers and the middle class, not expecting upper class customers to part with $3,000 for skirts and $5,000 for suits over the Internet. If you’re not living near Rodeo Drive, Fifth Avenue or Magnificent Mile, chances are, your closest high-end fashion source is online. Luxury garment brands and retailers have now embraced the web and their sales are growing at a faster pace than that of other online retailers.
The trend represents another byproduct of high-speed Internet connections, but it also speaks to the growing belief among luxury retailers and designers that a two-dimensional Web store will not diminish their marquee status.
“We’ve begun to see that the e-commerce shopper is indeed someone who has really quite a level of sophistication, and is older than was once imagined,” said Robert Triefus, an executive vice president with Armani Group. “For fashion, that type of consumer is very fundamental.”
Over all, luxury apparel sales will approach $1 billion this year, according to Forrester Research, a technology consulting firm. E-commerce is expected to grow by 21 percent compared with last year, and growth in luxury apparel sales is expected to exceed that, Forrester said.
(nytimes)
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