In a world where everything seems to be changing rapidly, change seems to be the only constant thing. Technology throws up new things at us daily and the very next day, there is something new…
This holds true for fashion too. Trends in fashion come and go. But to keep up with these changing trends can be a tad bit difficult at times. To begin with, the brands you buy the most may not be easily available around you or they maybe located at some obscure mall, getting to which is a transportation nightmare.
Having spent almost 20 years in the luxury cosmetic industry, of which the last 8 years in the Middle-East, I noticed very early that it was not always easy to have access to the best brands, products and bargains, especially if you did not regularly shop one of the mega-malls in the largest cities. At the same time, I was puzzled by the fact that this region, which was rapidly expanding and was historically open to the rest of the world, did not seem to have fully adopted the Internet.
At the time, I was really busy expanding the business of a large US company I was heading in the region, and had little time to think about all this.
And then came the crisis and, with it, the world around us changed. International brands – including the ones I used to manage – were hit by a severe recession, leaving us with huge excess inventories of quality merchandise that we could not sell anymore. The attitude of the consumers towards luxury brands changed too. Of course, they still did love their brands – for which, by the way, this region has a real passion and appreciation, as it understands quality and luxury. We still wanted more of them, but times were more challenging, we felt a bit less secure. So, it was time to become smarter!
Was there a way to bring all these beautiful luxury items, now available at a fraction of their initial price, directly to the consumers? Could we bring to the Middle-East the concept of Private Sale’s clubs that was so successful in Europe and in the US? Would consumers in the Middle-East be interested to buy luxury fashion items online, pay with their credit cards, and receive their items at home, as their counterparts on other continents did?
We thought yes! For this very reason www.Fashionation.me came into being. Fashionation.me is the first invitation-only shopping club in the Middle East, where Luxury and Lifestyle brands are available online at prices up to 70% off their original retail price.
We will be launching the website soon so stay tuned for more.
Regards,
Didier Picard, Managing Director & Founder, www.fashionation.me
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