SimplyAbuDhabi IX

It is obvious that fashion is your passion did you always know you wanted to work within the fashion industry? I have always loved fashion but I initially explored other career opportunities. I started at Saatchi & Saatchi before joining the Walt Disney Company to work in creative development and then went onto Hachette Filipacchi. While I enjoyed the challenges these roles gave me, I longed to find a job that struck the perfect balance between creativity and business. When the role of Vice President of Global sales andMarketing came up at LVMH, it felt like the perfect opportunity. With the instantaneous broadcasting of upcoming collections of fashion shows via the internet, do you find this hinders the sales of current seasons to trend savvy customers? Our customers are fashion-savvy, early adapters who are always looking ahead - but equally, they like to shop ‘in season’. The majority find it much more satisfying to buy something that they can wear immediately which is why we work so hard on our edit and product selection so that you can always find pieces you love when you need them most. Tell us about the superb personal shopping service offered to users at Net-a- Porter? We provide all our customers with amazing service through our unique edit, great product selection, engaging content and dedicated in-house Customer Care and Fashion Advisor teams who are on hand to assist with everything from placing orders to size, fit and style advice. We also offer a fabulous, invitation-only personal shopping service for our most loyal clients. These women love fashion and lead busy lifestyles which take them all over world; they appreciate a highly bespoke service to meet their unique needs and circumstances. The team helps with every aspect of a client’s shopping experience at Net-a-Porter. For example, when one client found herself in Hong Kong and in need of an outfit for an event at the last minute, one of our personal shoppers flew over night to hand deliver it to her in time. Exclusive previews of all forthcoming product launches, personalized styling consultations and invitations to runway shows, parties, screenings, dinners and receptions with our top designers are also all part of the service. Would you describe the Net-a-Porter iPad App as a must have for all fashion followers. What services does it offer to the user? Service is central to what we do. Our app for the iPad gives our customer the ability to interact with the product while on the go through exciting editorial content, bringing the magazine pages and fabulous product to life. As on the site, you can shop complete looks direct from our glossy shoots as well as watch exclusive video content and share product suggestions with family and friends. It makes for a much more immersive shopping experience which we and our customers love. How important is the Middle Eastern market to the brand? The Middle East has always been, and remains, a hugely important market for us. We have a fabulous, discerning customer base that turns to us for our edit of runway brands like Saint Laurent, Miu Miu and Alexander McQueen, as well as for our selection of emerging designers like Biyan, Vika Gazinskaya and Ek Thongprasert all of which are new to Net-a-Porter this season. Our customers in the Middle East love the ability to shop at their convenience and on the go particularly via their iPads or iPhones. Net-a-Porter is doing a great job of creating a sense of community between their customers with additions of features such as Net-a-Porter Live. What explain the reasoning behind this feature and how is it beneficial to the users? Net-a-Porter Live provides viewers with a global snapshot of what other Net-a-Porter users are adding to their wish list, to their shopping bag, or sharing with friends, in real-time. Customers can browse and share within the online Net-a-Porter community, while retaining their anonymity and privacy. It is highly addictive and a great way to discover items by watching other users' activities and profiles. Having also played a vital role in both the development and launch of Mr Porter, do you find obvious differences in shopping needs between the female and male customers? Most women, or certainly the women we speak to, love fashion and shopping for clothes. They tend to shop more on impulse whereas men are muchmore considered in their approach, and will ask more questions. Men want to make an informed decision and the Mr Porter team understands this so they focus on providing the right information in a digestible way. Each item on site has full product information and the weekly magazine, entitled The Journal, features products styled on real men. We do all this onNet-a-Porter too, but we also celebrate the fantasy side of fashion through glossy editorial shoots featuring renowned industry icons. What are you picks for the current Spring/Summer season? I lovedHedi Slimane's first show for Saint Laurent. The blouses and black pants which were seen on the runway were fabulous and the Sac du Jour is top of my wish list. I’m also coveting Balmain’s eye-catching striped skinny jeans. The single sole pump is the shoe style of the season and Gianvito Rossi has produced some of the most stylish and comfortable. There is also a dress by Alessandra Rich which was inspired by Russian gymnasts that I know will make a great eveningwear statement. Any key trends we should expect to see in the upcoming Spring/Summer season? Look out for fabrics that have a futuristic look. There were holographic stripes at Jonathan Saunders and light-reflective fabrics at Dion Lee, but the easiest way to channel this trend is though metallic accessories like Proenza Schouler’s mirrored leather PS11 clutch or Stella McCartney’s silver hologram-effect pumps. In terms of shapes, it’s all about oversized silhouettes, round shoulders and boxy cuts. This trend was best exemplified at Jil Sander, Stella McCartney and Marni. The key is to get the balance right is to always downplay an oversized garment with a more fitted piece. White is the color of the season as seen at Alexander Wang and Chloé. Opt for textures like lace to add interest and don’t forget the white accessories too, especially a pair of white pumps. Look to 3.1 Phillip Lim, Valentino and Christian Louboutin for some of the best examples. There was a lot of head-to-toe dressing on the runways. This is such a fun trend which is about matching everything from your clothes to your shoes, jewellery and bags. You can chose to wear a single print, but the boldest way to channel this trend is with a one statement hue, as seen at Gucci. Do you have any plans to expand into the sale of luxury children and baby wear? No immediate plans. Given that Net-a-Porter ships to 170 countries, what steps are you taking to keep the content of both the site and the magazine relevant to different regions? We are concentrating on deepening our activity in emerging markets to ensure that wherever our customers may be they receive the best possible service and delivery. We will also continue to develop even more immersive content across all of our platforms, providing our customer with newways to shop and offering them the most innovative shopping experience. We’ve always had a global approach to our buying and will continue to support designers fromdifferent regions. This season we’ve added labels from all corners of the globe including Vika Gazinskaya from Russia; Maiyet, who supports artisans in Kenya, India, Peru and Colombia and Ek Thongprasert from Thailand. Given that we serve customers in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, we make sure we have a selection of winter warmers and beachwear 365 days a year. I was greatly impressed with the Net-a-Porter/Karl Lagerfeld collaboration as well as the launch of the high tech/high fashion window shopping experience. Can we expect to see more of these innovations and collaborations in the future? Watch this space! Most importantly, what do you think of our Simply Abu Dhabi Publication? I love it! Every time I read it I am transformed into a world of pure luxury and escapism. 1 3 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I