Fashion gets wired

Fashion gets wired
By SHARMILLA GANESAN

Homegrown couturiers reach out to a wider audience via online shopping website eBay.

LOCAL fashion designers are set to take the Internet by storm, as couture meets technology in this year’s Malaysia-International Fashion Week (M-IFW).

Online shopping and auction website eBay will be creating a microsite for established homegrown designers, in collaboration with Malaysian International Fashion Alliance (Mifa), the organiser of M-IFW. Incidentally, these couturiers are all featured at the prestigious M-IFW, which starts in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 4.

Shoppers from around the world who log on to the site will gain access to the latest designs by the likes of Eric Choong, Asian Atelier, Eclipse, Gallo by Thian, KN Key Ng, Stud, Tangoo, Tom Abang Saufi and William Liew.
Spot-on: ‘It’s a great start for Malaysian designers,’ says Eric Choong.

Billed to have the largest online shopping community in the world, eBay will not only create a stronger brand presence for the labels, but also expose these Malaysian designers to a global audience.

With over 88 million active users worldwide and an apparel business approaching US$5bil (about RM17bil) annually, there is no doubt that eBay will present the designers with the opportunity to reach out to a much wider customer base.

This is the first time such an initiative has been launched locally, and eBay education specialist Chris Chan has high expectations for its success.

“A lot of people are looking for other shopping options, and the online business is still booming. eBay has always believed that fashion goes hand in hand with its business, and efforts like this have already been done in Singapore. M-IFW seems like the perfect time to begin that partnership in Malaysia,” says Chan.
eBay education specialist Chris Chan has high expectations for the microsite’s success.

One of the designers participating in this initiative is Eric Choong, who is excited by the possibilities.

“It’s a great start for Malaysian designers, especially since this era is all about getting online,” he says.

“eBay is one of biggest shopping channels in the world, particularly with regions like the United States, Britain and Australia.

“Let’s say I want to sell my designs to Australians; I’d have to set up a shop there, but I’d still only be able to reach the customers who visit my store. But by being online, I can reach so many more people in those markets.”

Choong further explains that having his creations online also gave him the impetus to think about how they would translate to an online audience.

For the range that will be available on eBay, Choong decided to offer classic, wearable cocktail and evening dresses that are ready-to-wear and affordably priced, yet retain his signature haute couture elements.

Chan says having their designs on the site allows fashion labels to become more accessible.

“It becomes an extension of their physical stores, but one that is available to a much wider clientele and at a much cost to the business owner. International buyers or customers who are unable to physically come to the boutiques will now be able to access the designs easily,” explains Chan.

The microsite will be available at www.ebay.com.my/fashion from Nov 1 onwards.

M-IFW is organised by Mifa and presented by Maxis. Officially endorsed by Matrade, M-IFW is scheduled from Nov 4 to 8 at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. Major sponsors are L’Oreal Paris, Masterclub, Elegance Club and Pernod Ricard Malaysia while key partners are eBay, Asia Experience, Blu Inc Media, Alfo, ntv7, Salon Esprit by Miko Au and X’pressionMaster.

Admin, Thursday, October 22, 2009