Young designers need to establish an online presence early on and embrace technology, as it has become an "essential part" of the fashion business, according to the chief executive of the British Fashion Council.
"Technology has become so much more accessible and ingrained in the way we do business, shop and communicate," Caroline Rush told the Decoded Fashion summit in London.
She said technology had become an essential part of the business and as a result of adopting online platforms and developing their e-commerce, many designers are now selling directly to the consumer at a much faster pace than would have been the course traditionally.
"It's really about bringing the fashion and tech sectors together and providing opportunities to help young designers get online – that is helping them to do it in the right way, to make sure there's mentors around them so that it is successful and they're learning... from challenges and hurdles that come with any retail platform."
Rush added that fashion businesses that "get it right" could grow more quickly and see better profits. "In London, people are seeing that there is a really great movement going on in the fashion and tech world. If [the BFC] can support that to grow, it is an added feather in our cap for the fashion industry.
"We're also seeing lots of tech firms who are coming to work with designers so that the tech that they have can be put into really beautiful products and that's an exciting moment for us," Rush told the summit attendees, a mixture of industry insiders and enthusiasts from the tech, retail, marketing and fashion sectors.
Designers struggle to keep up
Henry Holland, the designer who first started selling his bold T-shirt designs on Myspace, said he found the main challenge to be keeping up with the development of technology.
Fellow designer Mary Katrantzou, know for her detailed print creations, said designers allowed time to build a brand creatively but "maybe we don't necessarily have the time, network or knowledge about what to do technologically".
She also highlighted a desire for technology that could make studio life easier. Asked what would be a dream app, Rush replied that an app tracking the reputation brands are building would be much coveted by the BFC. Katrantzou said she would like an app that could offer a pool of logistics information, providing price comparison costs that she says would "save a lot of time across the company".
The British designer Lulu Guinness said designers should not be afraid of incorporating technology into their brand. "You’ve got to be fearless, I think you get left behind otherwise," she said. "You've just got to go with it – use your intelligence, your common sense. If you’re a fashion retailer you should be embracing every single type of technology you can."
Guinness was enthusiastic about the prospect of 3D printing, even declaring it would be a perfect fit for the Perspex lip-shaped purse her brand has become known for. She was quick to add that some items would still need to be produced by the hands of craftsmen.
Emulating tech startups
The British Fashion Council also released a report on Tuesday entitled Commercialising Creativity – Creating a Model for Success for British Fashion Designers, which said young British designers should emulate Silicon Valley and view the launch of a fashion brand as an entrepreneurial venture.
The report echoes comments from Liz Bacelar, the founder of Decoded Fashion, who told the Guardian this year that “designers need to launch like startups”. The release also marks a new partnership between the London Business School and the British Fashion Council, which was also announced on Tuesday.
Source: Guardian Technology
