Online retailers, the new trend setters

The end of trends? JC Report, an online trends newsletter, has been running a provocative series called “The Death of Trends” which analyzes the shift of the fashion industry away from a two-season system and toward a more fluid system of “constantly evolving blend of eclectic micro-trends.”

As Julie Fredrickson, founder of the fashion community blog Coutorture, mentions, “The two-season system is essentially defunct as designers are pressed to keep consumers stimulated with new goods. In that sense, there isn’t room for an overarching vision because the schedule has accelerated so dramatically.” High fashion couturiers simply can’t keep pace. Online retailers are best able to adapt to and even create micro-trends much quicker than the offline world, and are becoming the newest and most cutting edge fashion sources.

Here’s a retail example, which requires online capabilities and would be impractical/cost prohibitive to facilitate in stores: Ndeur, a Canadian company that offers high-end customized shoes, and now a new partnership with customization portal Zazzle is bringing similar capabilities to the iconic world of Keds. Keds Studio, which just launched a few weeks ago, lets consumers design their own custom Keds Champions classic canvas sneakers by picking colors and adding graphics, photos and text. Users of the Zazzle-powered application begin by selecting the style they want (slip-on or lace-up, for women or kids) along with the size. They are then prompted to choose from a wide selection of colors and designs for each of several different sections of the shoe, along with trim.

Quoting Sarah Curran, founder and CEO of mywardrobe.com, “The front page of our site and our email campaigns allow us to present themes and trends on a regular basis – and we’re able to quickly evaluate and change them depending on what our customers respond to the most.” Not only can these sites quickly gauge the popularity of fashion offerings, but they have tremendous power to broadcast the trends to a worldwide audience.

What label can compete with a consumer pool of 1.4 billion internet users?