Not So Fast Forward

Customers watch a fashion show, they like the designs, they buy: The “see now, buy now” system that several fashion brands have adopted might seem like a natural progression in our fast-paced times, but here’s why it might not be the only way for the industry to get ahead.

- Lynette Koh

The bag in question is a small, beautifully made satchel with a red and green python flap, juxtaposed against gold sequins, green leather and the familiar Burberry check. Private banker Serene Chua is telling us how she came to be the first person in Singapore to own this accessory in April: “These bags had come straight off the runway in the UK. This was one of nine beautiful patchwork bags I previewed at the Burberry store, and I immediately took a liking to it. They sold it to me after much persuasion.”

Wait a second – much persuasion? We’re a little confused; did Chua not just say she had immediately liked the bag? Why, we ask, did she need to be persuaded to buy it? With a laugh, she clarifies: “I meant that I had to persuade Burberry to sell it to me as it was not for sale at that time, being a runway piece.”

Talk about a bright spot for retail. Despite the constant stream of recent news articles bemoaning falling luxury sales, Chua is proof that customers – even in this sluggish economic climate – are more than willing to spend when products are sufficiently enticing. In this case, “sufficiently enticing” refers not only to the bag’s aesthetic, but also to the fact that it was “super special” and “straight off the runway”, as its owner enthuses.

STRAIGHT OFF THE RUNWAY