At Your Service

Online shopping is now an everyday occurrence, thanks to a company that singlehandedly changed the way people consume luxury fashion. Charmaine Ho speaks to the President of Net-a-Porter Group, Alison Loehnis.

- Alison Loehnis

Everyone has a digital platform that they cannot live without. For style influencers, it’s Instagram and the ability to reach thousands with one “share”. Beauty gurus have Youtube for the “how-to” videos they upload each week. For fashion-philes who have a penchant for luxury shopping, there’s Net-a-Porter (NAP) and its stable of 650 brands (beauty brands included), readily available with the click of a button.

Over six million people visit the online retail site every month to view its wares; making purchases as they commute from one meeting to the next, indulging in a spot of retail therapy in the midst of a busy work day. Never before have fashion lovers had such easy access to their favourite brands, nor has the journey from store to wardrobe ever been as seamless. To think that this was all made possible by the relentless and revolutionary foresight of one company in 2000.

“When NAP launched, the online landscape for luxury fashion was relatively barren. Brands had to be convinced that people would shop for designer pieces online; believing they would never forgo the opportunity to touch the fabrics, try on clothes or test out beauty products before making a purchase,” recalls President of NAP Group, Alison Loehnis. “To see how far we have come and how much attitudes have changed both in terms of the industry and its consumer is remarkable.” Having been at the top ranks of the brand for close to a decade, Loehnis speaks candidly to BAZAAR on how the e-retailer is staying at the forefront of an ever-shifting industry.

How has NAP ensured that it has an edge over other luxury retail sites in the market?