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Setting Up an eCommerce Store for Your Fashion Brand

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The digital age has seamlessly merged the fashion industry with the eCommerce sphere, opening doors for brands to connect with a global audience through various social media platforms. This digital transition has not only blurred geographical boundaries but has also reshaped the shopping paradigm, aligning it with evolving consumer preferences.

Now, more than ever, establishing an online presence is pivotal for fashion brands. It’s no longer a mere extension but a crucial element for staying competitive and relevant in the bustling market. An online store acts as a digital front, reflecting the brand’s ethos while offering a convenient shopping avenue for the modern consumer. It embodies a space where brand identity intertwines with consumer experience, thus forming a vital link in fostering brand loyalty and meeting modern-day shopping preferences.

Let’s explore how you can start with your fashion eCommerce store development and ensure success in this competitive industry.

The Shift to Digital

There is no doubt that consumer interactions are swiftly shifting to digital platforms. Therefore, having an eCommerce store is an imperative stride towards maintaining a strong market presence, meeting contemporary shopping preferences, and driving the brand’s long-term success in the digital marketplace. 

However, outlining your fashion eCommerce store development plan is not always easy. You have to analyze your competitors and see what they are offering and where they are lacking. After that, you can start planning your eCommerce store.

Planning Your eCommerce Store

Understanding who your buyers are is the cornerstone of establishing a thriving online fashion store. Delve into the demographic and psychographic profiles of your potential customers. 

Explore their age, gender, income levels, fashion preferences, and shopping behaviors. You can also harness insights from social media channels and eCommerce trends to discern what resonates with your audience.

After gathering the insights, you can tailor your online presence and even your inventory.

Deciding on the Product Range

Fashion is an expression, and your product catalog is the narrative. Select a blend of products that not only reflect your brand’s distinctive style but are also in sync with current fashion demands. Whether it’s the vintage allure or the contemporary chic, ensure your product range embodies the ethos of your brand while catering to the fashion zeitgeist.

Analyze market trends, and consider including a mix of timeless classics and trendy seasonal pieces to keep your collection fresh and appealing, offering a wide range of options that align with customer preferences.

There are more than 26 million online stores, and without a competitive analysis, your effort can fall short.

Therefore, study online retailers to glean insights into what works and what doesn’t. Analyze their website design, product descriptions, pricing strategy, and customer engagement tactics. Concurrently, stay abreast of evolving market trends by following fashion influencers, attending industry trade shows, and subscribing to fashion retail reports. 

This dual lens of analysis will equip you with a robust understanding, helping identify opportunities to carve a unique niche and foresee potential challenges in the fashion eCommerce industry.

Choosing the Right eCommerce Platform

Choosing the right eCommerce platform is akin to selecting the location for a brick-and-mortar store; it’s fundamental to your online success. 

Platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce are tailored with features that cater to the needs of fashion retailers. Evaluate them based on their ease of use, target audience, customization options, pricing, and the support they offer for setting up a custom fashion-centric online storefront.

Mobile Responsiveness and User-Friendly Interfaces

In an age where smartphones are the go-to shopping companions for fashion shoppers, ensuring your platform supports a mobile-responsive design is crucial.

A user-friendly interface that offers a seamless shopping experience across devices will keep your fashion-savvy online shoppers engaged and coming back for more, enhancing the experience for customers.

Consider creating a mobile app for your store on which shoppers can make purchases through their mobile devices.

Scalability and Customization Options

Your online business will evolve, and so will your online store. Opt for a platform that scales with your business and allows for customization to continually resonate with your brand’s aesthetics amidst a crowded fashion sector.

Designing Your Online Store

Your online store is the digital persona of your fashion business. Try to reflect your brand’s aesthetics through a consistent use of logos, color schemes, and typography. This visual identity should echo through every element of your store, crafting a cohesive brand experience for the fashion shoppers.

Creating Visually Appealing Product Pages

Fashion is visual, and your product pages should entice with high-quality images, informative product descriptions, and a seamless checkout process. 

Each product page should tell a story, encouraging customers to become a part of your brand’s narrative. Product categories should be clearly defined, offering a wide range of options that cater to diverse customer preferences.

Implementing Intuitive Navigation and Search Functionality

A well-organized store with intuitive navigation and robust search functionality enables customers to effortlessly browse through your collections and find the products they desire, enhancing their online shopping experience.

Setting Up Payment and Shipping Options

It’s advantageous to integrate multiple payment gateways to provide variety and convenience to your customers. Common gateways include PayPal, Stripe, Square, and traditional credit/debit card processing systems.

Multiple payment gateways not only offer convenience but also instill trust in your online store, a crucial aspect of building a successful online business.

Determining Shipping Methods and Rates

Transparent and competitive shipping rates coupled with clear delivery timelines enhance customer satisfaction. 

Offer a mix of shipping options to cater to the varied preferences of your clientele, ensuring a personalized shopping experience.

Addressing International Shipping and Taxes

If your fashion brand caters to a global audience, clearly communicate international shipping costs and tax obligations. A transparent approach will help manage customer expectations and avoid surprises during the checkout process, enhancing the experience for customers.

Developing a Marketing and Promotion Strategy

Utilizing Social Media and Email Marketing 

The fashion sector thrives on visuals and storytelling. Engage with your audience through visually captivating social media campaigns and personalized email newsletters. Implement social commerce strategies to foster a community around your brand and offer product recommendations based on customer preferences.

Implementing SEO and SEM

Ensure your fashion eCommerce store development is bolstered by a solid page that is easily discoverable by optimizing it for search engines. 

You can implement SEO strategies to drive organic traffic and consider leveraging SEM through paid advertising for additional visibility, especially during launches or seasonal promotions.

Exploring Influencer Collaborations and Affiliate Marketing

Collaborate with fashion influencers whose style aligns with your brand to broaden your reach.

Additionally, set up an affiliate program to encourage loyal customers and fashion bloggers to promote your brand, creating a network of brand advocates.

Monitoring and Analyzing Performance

Set up analytics and equip your online store with analytics tools to monitor sales, website traffic, and customer reviews. This data is invaluable for making informed decisions, understanding what resonates with your audience, and identifying areas for improvement. This is why the best apparel businesses incorporate enterprise resource planning systems such as ApparelMagic.

Incorporating ApparelMagic ERP into your online store’s operations can significantly enhance your capacity to monitor and analyze performance across various dimensions. Here’s how:

Financial Monitoring

By automating financial processes, ApparelMagic accelerates the pace at which you can access and analyze financial data. It offers a comprehensive view of your financial performance with features for managing accounts receivable, accounts payable, purchasing, and more, facilitating informed decision-making​​.

Procurement Optimization

Streamlining purchasing and payment processes enhances not only operational efficiency but also provides invaluable data on supplier relationships and procurement performance, helping you make better-informed procurement decisions.

Project Management

Having real-time updates on project statuses, estimated costs, and actual costs allows for better management and analysis of ongoing projects, which in turn helps in optimizing resource allocation and improving overall project outcomes​.

Supply Chain and Order Management

ApparelMagic’s robust supply chain and order management features facilitate intelligent planning and tracking across your supply chain and order fulfillment processes. This includes tracking projects even as they move through your supply chain, monitoring production schedules against sales deadlines, and streamlining the pick-and-pack process to meet customer demands more efficiently​.

Conclusion

Writing a fashion eCommerce success story involves thorough planning, choosing the right platform, designing an engaging online store, developing robust marketing strategies, and continuously monitoring and adapting to market trends and consumer feedback.

The digital marketplace is ever-evolving. Therefore, using the strategies and tools we outlined for you above will guarantee success and help you on your fashion eCommerce store development journey.

One of our Favorite Times of the Year: The Met Gala

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The 2023 Met Gala was a stunning spectacle, with celebrities and fashion enthusiasts alike gathering to pay tribute to the legendary Karl Lagerfeld. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala hosted the event to celebrate the opening of “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” an exhibition dedicated to the iconic designer that runs from May 5th to July 16th.

As the stars descended on the red carpet, Lagerfeld’s influence on fashion was evident in the dazzling array of outfits that graced the event. In this post, we’re excited to share the top trends we noticed, as well as some notable mentions of our very own ApparelMagic clients, Prabal Gurung and Jonathan Simkhai, whose designs have become a Met Gala staple.

A Nod to Lagerfeld’s Classics

The stars embraced Lagerfeld’s classic slim black jacket and pants, white shirt, and black tie look. In a tribute to the designer’s signature style, we saw various reinterpretations, such as Ke Huy Quan’s custom Dior suit and Bella Ramsey’s pearl-trimmed Thom Browne ensemble. Prabal Gurung and Jonathan Simkhai’s designs also honored Lagerfeld’s sartorial legacy with their sleek lines and minimalist sophistication.

Vintage Revival

The Met Gala showcased the timeless allure of vintage glamour, with celebrities donning outfits inspired by Lagerfeld’s designs from the 1950s to the 2010s. Naomi Campbell’s sequin-encrusted pink Chanel Haute Couture gown from Spring 2010 and Dua Lipa’s white tweed ballgown from Chanel Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 1992 were just a few examples of the vintage-inspired looks on display.

The Return of the Maxi-Train

Dramatic, larger-than-life trains made a statement at this year’s Met Gala, with stars like Rihanna and Bad Bunny stealing the show with their extravagant ensembles. Rihanna’s custom Valentino Haute Couture dress featured a flowing cape covered in appliquéd camellias, while Bad Bunny’s 26-foot flower train by Simon Porte Jacquemus added a dramatic flair to his backless white suit.

Pearls Take Center Stage

Pearls emerged as the must-have accessory for the evening, adorning gowns, suits, and even hair. Kim Kardashian’s champagne-colored Schiaparelli gown dazzled with looped pearl strands, and Lizzo’s black Chanel dress, an homage to a 1991-1992 runway look, featured pearl trim and a train, combining two of the evening’s biggest trends.

Feline Fancy

Lagerfeld’s love for his pet cat Choupette inspired many attendees to incorporate feline elements into their outfits. Doja Cat’s glittering Oscar de la Renta ensemble included feline prosthetics by Malina Stearns, and Lil Nas X wore a sparkling cat mask and a thong, with the rest of his body adorned in silver body paint, Swarovski crystals, and pearls. Jared Leto’s full-body costume resembling Lagerfeld’s Birman cat was the ultimate tribute to the designer’s beloved feline companion.

As the fashion world celebrated the genius of Karl Lagerfeld at the 2023 Met Gala, the event served as a reminder of the designer’s lasting impact on the industry. With stunning ensembles, bold trends, and the continued presence of iconic brands like Prabal Gurung and Jonathan Simkhai, the Met Gala proved once again that it’s not just a glamorous party, but also a showcase of groundbreaking fashion ideas that will influence the industry for years to come.

Jonathan Simkhai dresses Mindy Kaling for the Met Gala

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When Mindy Kaling shows up to an event, she means business. This is an actress who lives and breath fashion. The Met Gala? It’s her Olympics, and she’s destined to get the gold medal.

So it’s no surprise that she brought her A-game—compliments of Jonathan Simkhai—to the star-studded event this year.

Simkhai, an ApparelMagic client, has long been a fixture of the event, consistently dressing the women who end up on Tuesday morning’s best dressed list.

Kaling wore an elegant white gown by the designer. The queen of statement-dressing, it of course defied description, but we’ll try here. Sparkling in the flashbulbs, a white tonal floral pattern covered the bodice, which flared out into a sculptural peplum around the hips and turned into a demure, almost understated—for this particular event—train, which was in turn lined in subtle fringe.

Meanwhile up top, the gown framed a daring décolletage. A shimmering columnar skirt finished out the look. Altogether, a bold choice, but one that went to extremes of sophistication. This was no Choupette cosplay.

By Kaling’s side was the designer, Mr. Simkhai himself. Dressed in a contrasting black smoking jacket bedecked in crystals, his jacket looked back to both the Pearl Kings of London and the evergreen staple of pearl strands of Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel, the night’s honoree.

The matching pair took to the red carpet together, combining the talents of designer and muse in perfect harmony.

Taika Waititi, Rita Ora, and more stun at the Met Gala in custom Prabal Gurung

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At this year’s ever-grander, ever more memeable Met Gala, celebrities turned up in their finest to honor the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, the subject of the 2023 exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Gallery in New York City.

The designer, famous for his longtime collaboration with Chanel and Fendi, as well as his work at his own line and the houses of Balmain and Patou, gave guests a treasure chest of inspiration, with designs from the past seven decades all ripe for aesthetic plunder.

Rita Ora, dressed in ApparelMagic client Prabal Gurung, took her inspiration from Lagerfeld’s favorite color, black, as well as his constant use of chiffon in daring ways. Her sheer gown criss-crossed her body until it swept down the Met’s infamous stairs with a dramatic train.

Taika Waititi, in an ode to Lagerfeld’s employer since the 80s, Chanel, wore a sumptuous evening coat in grey satin with a pair of ivory trousers. Topping the Prabal Gurung look though, was a floral pin and strand of pearls, a perennial Chanel trademark.

Quinta Brunson took to the cream carpet with a fitted lavender and pink gown. Always putting a subversive twist on prim and proper evening wear, Gurung took a page out of Lagerfeld’s playbook by wrapping the gown in black tulle and pinning on a. camellia brooch.

Actress Alia Bhatt collaborated with Gurung on a perfectly suited white ball gown entirely encrusted in pearls. The rarity, a signature from Coco Chanel’s days, was one often referred back to by Lagerfeld in his Chanel collections.

And the model Anok Yai took pearls a step further in a dress that went in a different direction, looking like mother-of-pearl nacre herself. Her wide hemline positively dripping with sequins that copied the material’s impressive iridescence.

Finally, actress Kelsey Asbille wore another custom Prabal Gurung dress, this one a super-structured mini dress fell off the shoulders and exaggerated the hips, paired with the Met Gala classic, a long, statement-making train.

Announcing the 2022 ApparelMagic Award Winners

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We’re pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 ApparelMagic Awards.

ApparelMagic users constantly surprise our team with the strides they make using the software. Whether they are growing their business, innovating within their industry, or cleverly automating their day-to-day work with efficient software, we like to take a moment each year to reward their impressive efforts.

Frankie’s Bikinis, the makers of Instagram-favorite swimsuits, has had a year of record-smashing growth and cultural relevancy. The business is reaping the rewards of high quality designs and a superior business acumen. They are our Designer of the Year.

Hype and Vice, a woman-owned collegiate apparel brand, is our Startup of the Year. With a fresh eye on a well-established niche, they are reinventing school spirit for a new generation of young women.

Men’s sportswear brand Scott Barber has been around for three decades, but after moving to ApparelMagic just two years ago, they’re already revolutionizing their business, earning them our Growth Award.

Migrating ERP systems can take some bravery, and luckily for one client, thrill-seeking comes naturally. H&H Sports Protection landed on ApparelMagic Cloud from ApparelMagic Desktop without a scratch, winning them Best Legacy Migration.

These four brands represent just a few of the many great businesses using our software. The team here cannot wait to see what the ApparelMagic community does in 2023!

LaQuan Smith nominated for CFDA Award

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No stranger to the red carpet, LaQuan Smith has been nominated for a CFDA Award for Womenswear Designer of the Year.

The 2022 award ceremony, taking place in New York, rewards the leading voices in the fashion industry, anointing the newest names and welcoming the hottest trendsetters to the influential establishment.

LaQuan Smith, an ApparelMagic client, has been welcomed into the industry by the merit of his daring cuts and his all-star roster of glamazon fans.

With notable celebrities like Beyonce, Khloe Kardashian, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Sydney Sweeney as recent converts, Smith has been the one to wear since starting his line. All signs point to him getting even bigger in the coming year.

6 Ways To Make Fashion Business More Sustainable By Using Technology

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The fashion industry is worth $3.5 trillion, which makes it one of the world’s greatest business sectors, right after the automobile and technology industries. However, it is also one of the most wasteful industries, contributing 10% of carbon emissions and 20% of the world’s water waste. In addition, roughly 60% of all apparel made ends up in landfills or incinerators within a few years of production.

Fortunately, mentality shifts are emerging that have the potential to transform this model over time. Increased environmental awareness combined with innovative new technology in fashion is paving the way toward a more sustainable fashion industry and ecosystem. 

In this post, we’re explaining what sustainable fashion is and sharing 6 ways technology contributes to sustainability in the fashion industry. 

Photo by Mel Poole on Unsplash

What is Sustainable Fashion?

The creation of clothing, footwear, accessories, and makeup in an environmentally responsible manner is referred to as sustainable fashion. The objectives of the sustainable fashion industry include protecting the environment, reducing pollution, promoting recycling, repurposing, and less consumption, as well as responsible use of natural resources.

The use of recycled materials, biodegradable textiles, local manufacturing, eco-friendly packaging, repurposed clothing, and second-hand shopping are a few examples of sustainable fashion practices. These methods must be used throughout the whole clothing production process—from design and manufacturing to packaging and distribution—for fashion to be sustainable. The good news is that technology and fashion do go hand in hand, which means that technological advancements make it simpler to implement these practices. 

Why is Sustainable Technology in the Fashion Industry Important?

All fashion businesses should be looking for ways to lessen the environmental impact of their operations and contribute to a more sustainable fashion industry. Not only because it is ethically right to do so, but also because it might be crucial for business success.

According to McKinsey, over 60% of shoppers give the environmental impact a high priority when making a purchase, and according to Neilsen, more than 65% of consumers are willing to pay more for goods that are made sustainably. 

There is pressure to reduce fabric waste and emissions, especially for online businesses given the additional environmental cost of exorbitantly high return rates. Adopting sustainable practices is therefore regarded as one of the best eCommerce conversion hacks for those trying to increase their online sales.

But it’s also important to embrace digital change to stop wasteful behaviors in the larger fashion industry. As consumers grow more environmentally concerned, some of the most popular brands are moving away from the wasteful methods of the past and embracing sustainable technology in the fashion industry to help bring about significant improvements. By combining technology and fashion, businesses can also address a wide range of expensive problems such as overproduction, low consumer confidence, and high return rates, while at the same time increasing productivity and efficiency. Utilizing emerging technologies will benefit all parties involved in the supply chain, eventually benefiting consumers as well.  

6 Ways Technology in Fashion Industry Can Make Your Business More Sustainable 

Here is a list of 6 innovative technologies revolutionizing apparel production that will help you learn more about how to support sustainability in the fashion industry. 

1. Inventory Management System (IMS)

Inventory management software provides precise stock levels at the specified timeline and in the specified location or channel. The system aids in forecasting demand and producing precise reports based on an exact stock, historical data, and other pertinent aspects. 

IMS also guarantees order accuracy, ensuring that the right goods reach the right customers. To make all of this possible, it must be integrated with your ERP system, eCommerce platform, and other applications the apparel company uses. 

2. Alternative Textiles

The textiles and materials that are commonly used in the fashion industry take lots of resources and/or a very long time to degrade. For instance, the amount of water needed to make a single cotton shirt is equal to what one person would drink in more than two years.

With the development of sustainable technology in the fashion industry, new alternative textiles and sustainable materials are being offered that are recyclable, reusable, regenerable, and sourced ethically. Recycled fibers as well as fibers derived from agricultural waste materials, such as rinds and leaves, are just two examples of eco-friendly textile substitutes. As alternatives to cotton, many apparel businesses choose natural materials like bamboo, ramie, and hemp. These innovative textiles provide alternatives that are durable, biodegradable, and produce less waste during production.

3. Virtual Sampling

Samples give designers and retail buyers an accurate depiction of the product, and one finished style can require more than twenty samples before production. 

Physical samples were once required for the design, buying, and selling lifecycles. These days, as 3D tech advances, virtual sampling provides a digital clothing review, which minimizes waste in both design and product development. The savings on labor and materials needed to produce physical samples is another significant benefit. 

4. CGI Models

Did you know that the Fashion Week shows produce tons of material waste and 37% of the yearly worldwide carbon emissions? Some fashion designers have started using CGI models to showcase digital clothing and reduce their carbon footprint. 

Since many of these CGI models have their own social media pages and sizable online fan bases, designers can reach a larger audience than if they were to take part in actual fashion shows. In addition, because virtual models are dressed in clothing that hasn’t been made yet, they contribute to a reduction in textile waste and efficient resource management of water and energy.

5. Making Fashion Circular

As customers and fashion companies become more conscious of the vast quantity of garbage produced by the fashion sector, new attempts are being made to solve this issue. The Make Fashion Circular campaign was launched by major brands like Stella McCartney, Nike, Burberry, H&M, and Gap in an effort to promote sustainable fashion.

The circular economy concept strives to keep materials and goods in use for as long as feasible by designing waste out of the product and manufacturing chain. This is achieved by recycling old clothing into a new one and using sustainable materials. 

Photo by piotr szulawski on Unsplash

6. AI Returns Technology

Product returns produce five billion pounds of landfill waste annually and a carbon footprint of 15 million tons in the US alone. 

Fortunately, hundreds of clothing companies have already been able to do this thanks to return technology. Using cloud-based software and smart algorithms, this invention diverts returns from landfills and sends them to stores, refurbishment facilities, and nonprofit groups.

Artificial intelligence can also be used to reduce return rates. Customers return clothes for a variety of reasons, including poor fit and lengthy delivery times. Brands can use artificial intelligence to implement customer database segmentation and learn precisely why and what types of customers are returning. With the use of this technology, shops will be able to choose more intelligently when it comes to advertising, quality assurance, and product display.

Final Thoughts

Sustainable fashion means being environmentally and socially responsible. Being part of the transition towards a more sustainable fashion industry is aligned with the principles of a circular economy that regenerates, restores, and helps the environment, society, and businesses. 

As customers continue demanding sustainability in the fashion industry, the industry will need to adapt to meet and surpass their demands. Eco-friendliness will surely be a key component in the future of fashion, in both design and delivery.

Prabal Gurung and LaQuan Smith stun at the Met Gala

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The Met Gala is many things: a promotion for a museum exhibition, the red carpet to end all red carpets, and a fundraiser for one of fashion’s biggest institutions. With stakes that high, designers pull out all the stops to create our era’s most iconic, relevant looks. As usual, ApparelMagic clients pulled together some of the most talked-about ensembles of the night.

La La Anthony chose a look by LaQuan Smith that was all glamour, all the time, just like the woman herself. The dress by Smith was in his signature sleek, sultry mode, and it stood out for its subtle nod to the night’s theme of Gilded Glamour. Learn more about how Smith uses ApparelMagic to manage his brand’s growing success.

Red carpet stalwart Prabal Gurung also dressed a number of the most stylish celebrities for fashion’s biggest night.

Gurung dressed pop star Camila Cabello in a midriff-baring white duchesse satin gown with a magnificent train.

Model Quannah Chasinghorse wore a diaphanous blue gown by the designer.

Actress Ashley Park of Emily in Paris fame was dressed in a gilded-age appropriate look: corsetry up top with a ostrich feather skirt.

And speaking of the gilded age, Denée Benton, star of the Gilded Age television series, updated her on-screen look with upcycled silk in vibrant red and shocking pink.

Fresh off of her latest starring role, Michelle Yeoh was resplendent in a Prabal Gurung gown in mint green.

Also dressed by Gurung was KiKi Layne, who accessorized her full-skirted pink dress with pristine opera gloves.

7 Fashion Brands that have capitalized on NFTs

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NFTs aren’t just for the cryptocrowd anymore. With two fashion weeks under its belt, the metaverse is set up to be the next big stop on the fashion calendar.

1. Jonathan Simkhai’s digital twins

As one of the industry’s leading lights, it’s no surprise that the trendsetters are getting in on the action already. ApparelMagic client Jonathan Simkhai reproduced looks from his fall 2022 collection for a metaverse event on Second Life put on by Everyrealm and Blueberry Entertainment.

 
 

2. ROKSANDA’s virtual show-stoppers 

Proving that fashion can pack just as much of a punch even as pixels, ROKSANDA put their trademark statement-making clothes online. The high fashion brand teamed up with the Institute of Digital Fashion to create an NFT of a dress to debut during Crypto Fashion Week 2022.

3. Tommy Hilfiger jumps into Web3

In March, some of the biggest brands in fashion like Tommy Hilfiger and Elie Saab teamed up for Metaverse Fashion Week, a digital-only fashion week inside the Decentraland platform. With attendance by a who’s who of the decentralized finance and digital art worlds, its front row is becoming an important spot to see and be seen for fashion insiders and tech innovators alike.

 
 

4. Rebecca Minkoff turns the information superhighway into her runway

How does a traditional fashion brand approach new technology? Apparently, with some great panache. Creating looks exclusively for the digital market, Rebecca Minkoff turned the brand DNA into purchasable assets available at THE DEMATERIALIZED marketplace.

5. Diesel goes digital

When cutting-edge fashion and novel forms of art merge, great things can happen. It’s with that knowledge that creative director Glenn Marten transformed his fall 2022 collection for Diesel into NFTs available at Rarible and their own NFT store, D:VERSE.

6. Overpriced.™’s $26,000 hoodie

Fashion loves a tongue-in-cheek joke, and even in its infancy, digital fashion already knows how to make fun of itself. Overpriced.™ notably proved the market for NFTs with their release of a hoodie paired with a NFT, selling on BlockParty for more than any other hooded sweatshirt in history.

 
 

7. Warren Lotas mints Iconic Illustrations

Artwork series are a natural fit for the current trends in NFTs, and today’s artists are able to turn their creativity into profit. Working outside his typical T-shirt canvas, Warren Lotas took his cult-favorite illustrations to the internet with 4,000 fugitive skeletons for his NFT Discord community “The Wild Bunch.” Best yet? They sold out in 9 minutes.

LaQuan Smith is the ApparelMagic Designer of the Year

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Say you’re the biggest name in fashion. You’ve dressed all the biggest names in music and celebrity. Beyonce’s a big fan. The Kardashians collectively owe you their greatest looks. The Jenners, too, look best in your wares. What’s next?

LaQuan Smith has had to answer all of these questions, and each time, the brand ups the ante. Last season, it was a show on the top of the Empire State Building. This season, it was opening their New York Fashion Week show with the It Girl of the moment (and Kanye West collaborator) Julia Fox.

Jennifer Epstein, Director of Sales at LaQuan Smith, has been a part of the meteoric rise, and she’s been part of the effort behind the glamor to turn a force of fashion into something to reckon with at retail.

Growing isn’t easy even at a normal pace, but when you’re the talk of the town, that exponential growth can be hard to handle from the backend.

“We were manually entering in every single invoice, and that was taking forever,” Epstein says.

When it got to be too much, she turned to ApparelMagic for a cost-effective solution that would keep records accurate, even as their business grew in leaps and bounds.

“Once I opened the department stores, I knew we had to put something in place. There was no way I could physically do this, or rely on someone else to do it,” Epstein says.

ApparelMagic gave her team a way to keep track of sales and inventory from one place, syncing across the system and ensuring numbers were accurate everywhere.

“The collection has grown tremendously in terms of categories and SKUs,” Epstein says. “This avoids a lot of mistakes entering orders at larger volumes as our business starts to get bigger.”

Finally, the brand has a reliable solution that can scale with the business. Growing pains are diminishing, and the team at LaQuan Smith has fewer headaches as they write their next chapter.

“It has added structure to the back end of our business that we hadn’t had before,” Epstein says. “ApparelMagic greatly helps in the organization of all of the new customers that we have acquired.”

JMP The Label is our Startup of the Year – Less Excel and more expansion

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Launching in March 2021 wouldn’t be an auspicious start for most businesses, but Juliette Porter’s JMP The Label is a striking exception. The influencer, MTV’s Siesta Key star, and now fashion mogul built a swimwear brand when most businesses were treading water.

Porter has been the one to watch, being named the Emerging Fashion Influencer of the Year at the American Influencer Awards in 2021. Pairing Porter’s taste and natural affinity with the beach with the skills of fashion industry veterans, JMP The Label is no merch line: it’s a well thought out lifestyle brand.

We spoke to JMP The Label co-founder David Kelleher about the business’s success using ApparelMagic.

“ApparelMagic has allowed us to expand rapidly, while maintaining control of inventory, BOMs, vendor information, and details necessary to stay organized with our 1600 skus—and growing!” Kelleher says.

It wasn’t always this easy though. Like many fashion brands, they hit a bump in the road early on when their commercial success was outpacing growth on the backend of the business.

“Prior to switching over, our information was maintained with various Excel documents, and human error plays such a factor with Excel,” Kelleher says.

By identifying their pain points right away, the team was able to start looking for a solution before any errors started to affect the business.

“Because of the fact that we saw success with sales early on, and that we knew that we wanted to continue to design more styles with more fabrics,” Kelleher says, “we were going to need something that was more robust than Excel. We needed an ERP system, and the sooner we could get to it, the better.”

With the goalposts identified, the next challenge was to find the best system for their needs. Though with a reputation that preceded it, a winner soon became clear.

“We knew we needed to move to an ERP system. We met with a bunch of them, and ApparelMagic seemed to be the industry leader,” Kelleher says.

They moved their business operations to the ApparelMagic platform for its ability to manage everything in one accurate, central hub.

“Trying to figure out how to build a brand on the backend as we scaled: that’s where we saw the worth of the software.”

As a brand that communicates directly with its customers, being able to connect to an eCommerce service was paramount. JMP The Label built a Shopify store using a standard integration between it and ApparelMagic, effortlessly syncing product and order data back and forth.

“The integration into Shopify was so simple, and now that we are able to generate reports on sales, styles, and leftover inventory,” Kelleher says, “2022 is poised to be a great year.”

Now that JMP The Label has the software power behind the scenes, they can concentrate on taking advantage of their growing popularity. As they grow, they know ApparelMagic will continue to support them with new features.

“ApparelMagic is the leader in the industry, and we can’t wait to see where the next few years can take us!”

Learn more about JMP The Label here.

Meet the winners of the ApparelMagic Awards

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After considerable deliberation around scores of amazing brands, it’s our pleasure to announce the winners of the ApparelMagic Awards 2021. These clients are going above and beyond to push fashion forward as a business and as a field of unfettered creativity.

Designer of the Year: LaQuan Smith

Between dressing the top celebrities and doing the most talked-about runway shows in fashion, LaQuan Smith’s name is on everyone’s lips.

Growth Award: Holderness & Bourne

Holderness & Bourne proves golf apparel is the fastest growing sector in menswear.

Ethical Fashion Award – Amour Vert

Sustainability is the core value at every stage of business for Amour Vert.

B2B Store Showcase – Dromedaris

Dromedaris puts their shoes in the spotlight with their ApparelMagic B2B eCommerce store.

Startup of the Year – JMP The Label

Juliette Porter, one of fashion’s biggest influencers, makes a splash with her new swimwear line.

Stay tuned as we talk to each of our winners about how they’ve successfully met and exceeded their goals over the course of 2021, and what they see next for their brands in 2022!