Spencer Howson - Bmag

gorgeous
FASHION + BEAUTY
Virtual shopper
Buying fashion online is so much more than just
shopping, as Laura Nolan discovers
Online shopping has emerged as a
powerhouse in the fashion industry.
From high-end labels to emerging
labels, designers are flocking to stock their
wares in digital stores while eager fashionistas
spend hours trawling through sites to find
the best bargains. And, unlike their bricks
and mortar counterparts, online stores are
booming, with global sites such as Net-a-
Porter and local ones including The Iconic
and Asos raking in big business.
But there is more to online shopping than
just easy access to the labels, according to
Teresa Gomez, co-director of Brisbane-based
luxury fashion online store threadbare. “It’s
about [giving shoppers] the experience –
it’s providing great articles, fashion trends,
celebrity style,” she says. “It’s the little things
that make a big difference in the online world.”
Threadbare, launched in August last year,
has already gathered a loyal following of
Australian, US and UK shoppers, according
to Gomez, selling labels such as Ellery, Josh
Goot, Dion Lee II and Aje. They enhance the
shopping experience with their threadbare
blog, exclusive membership services and by
utilising social media including Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram where customers can
interact and discuss new trends and styles.
Gomez and her co-directors’ vision for
the site was to make local and international
luxury labels more accessible to Brisbane
and Australian consumers, many of whom
are looking for something different than the
traditional chain store options. “Our options
for shopping are just not the same as if you
live in Europe or if you live in America,” she
says. “Retailers are just unable to supply
us with a big variety of things, so I think
Australian consumers will always have that
thirst for something different.”
Frockshop is another Brisbane-based
online store riding high on the internet
shopping boom. Opened in 2006, the awardwinning
site stocks labels such as Camilla and
Marc, Zimmerman and Magdalena Velevska,
and even launched its own flagship store
on James Street, Fortitude Valley, two years
ago. However, according to Frockshop public
relations manager Macushla Kilvington, it is
their online store that entices more customers
and keeps them coming back. “It’s such a
great platform to access an unlimited amount
of people.”
Bardot Bloom Town
collection available
online now at
www.theiconic.com.au
Read Brisbane’s Best I bmag.com.au 25