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Marc Jacobs Discovers E-Commerce, Somehow NYT's Style Section Is Shocked

by Matthew Zuras on July 12, 2010 at 04:00 PM

Marc Jacobs 2010 CollectionIn a class-war-baiting article typical of the Sunday Style section, the New York Times published a piece describing fashion's fall from grace and into the common world of the Web. Years ago, luxury clothing-makers scoffed at the Internet, and favored the dignified experience of shopping in a real, brick-and-mortar boutique, but, says Stephanie Clifford, "in came the recession, and out went the niceties." Poor fashion!

If only it were true. The Times focuses on Marc Jacobs and its $5 billion brand, which has been late to the e-commerce party. Although a number of luxury brands, including Marc Jacobs, have set up online showrooms, the products aren't for sale online. MJ will be changing all that in September, however, when its website goes retail.

We understand the mindset behind keeping your brand and your designs exclusive; the perceived value of your product goes down when people can buy it at Walmart. But Marc Jacobs's entrée into online shopping is hardly a watershed moment for high fashion, or a sign of its downfall.

The irony of Marc Jacobs's holdout is, of course, the fact that many of the brand's designs can be found on retailer websites (like Neiman Marcus, Barneys and Saks), or even at discount on invite-only sites like Gilt. And several other luxury brands, commanding price tags even higher than Jacobs's, have established Web stores: Costume National, Alexander McQueen and Bottega Veneta, to name a few.

When it comes down to exclusivity, what really separates luxury from banality is price. You could argue that the soul-crushing experience of browsing at Bergdorf's adds to brands' nigh unattainable image. But there's little difference between an online presence and advertising in magazines like Vogue, because customers can either window-shop online or drool over the glossies. And brands still have final cut when it comes to styling and imagery. But, no matter what, if you can't afford it, it's still out of reach. [From: NYTimes]

Tags: e-commerce, fashion, gilt, gilt groupe, GiltGroupe, marc jacobs, MarcJacobs, online shopping, OnlineShopping, shopping, Style Section, StyleSection, sunday styles, SundayStyles, top, web

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