Homewares - the new growth area for online fashion stores. Which stores have an SEO head start?

Read my latest Drapers blog, ‘Online fashion retailers, homewares and SEO’

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Lots of brands under one roof works wonders online, so could Arcadia one day follow suit with its brands available from one digital offering?

Read my latest Drapers blog, ‘Arcadia online – all under one roof?’

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Ever wondered what it’s like to work for Topshop boss Philip Green? Well I recently interviewed a woman who knows.

Sarah Maskell is described as the billionaire’s protégé. Since working for Arcadia, she’s gone on to produce her own collection of lingerie for plus-size women.

She has plenty of experience of retail, which she has learned from the best, and now she’s applying the principles of selling online with the Oola Lingerie website.

Read my interview with Sarah on my Drapers blog.

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Sketch was the chosen venue to celebrate the success of Britain’s online fashion stores. A formal sit down dinner just wouldn’t do to celebrate the future (or should I say the now?) of how we’re increasingly buying our wears.

If you ever wanted to escape talk of the credit crunch and economic downturns, you couldn’t do better than a room full of people working in the fastest growing online sector – fashion retail. To cheekily coin a popular phrase “we’re alright jack”.

Too far perhaps, as many of us have had to fire fight through ’08 to weather the storm, but consider our resilience to the ‘crunch’ compared to the high street and you’ll understand why everyone at the event had something to smile about.

The display of pearly whites and ear to ear grins might have had something to do with the bubbles which were flowing like it was 1999; only it was 10 years later with a crowd so excited that many a champers flute met their maker, smashing to pieces leaving their temporary owners shamed, as the shattering glass attracted the head turning of a bustling mix of fashionistas, web techies and “suits”.

“Dress To Party” said the invite, which many did and very well too. “You must be on the fashion side” someone said to me, clearly judging me by my cover of shimmering silver trousers, a wide stripe shirt and bow tie – my Topman.com attempt at a Viktor & Rolf look, probably many a fashion season too late.

Host Mica Paris and Caprice, who presented an award, didn’t let anyone down when it came to looking stylish. But Mica, what was that skirt-hoisting-up business all about? The TV favourite kept rustling up the hem of her dress, as she presented the awards, and it didn’t go unnoticed.

One person who wouldn’t have enjoyed Mica’s hosting is rising star VV Brown. When the DJ played her debut single “Crying Blood”, the What Not To Wear presenter took back her praise for the jockey’s choice of songs saying she “wasn’t sure” about that one.

A few brutish heckles from one attention seeking attendee wasn’t enough to ruin the actual ceremony which in itself didn’t last very long.

The fact that I, and the other judges, spent the best part of a day and a half discussing and analysing the entrants, all to be over within half an hour, didn’t matter. How could it after seeing the faces on the winners? And to be a part of the first industry awards dedicated to online fashion made it well worth it too.

So as the awards were given and the sponsors thanked the after party led to networking, mingling, more drinking and consequently some ‘dad dancing’, before carriages awaited the partying crowd.

With it being the most popular Drapers Awards ceremony it’s safe to say next year we’ll do it all again, and some.

So here’s to a year when the high street retailers take online/in-store multi channel retailing seriously, Tesco enters the online fashion world in a big way and My-wardrobe.com becomes a household name.

Let’s talk more about that after the Drapers Etail Awards in 2010, because ’09 is looking nothing but good for online fashion retail.

Click here to see more photos from the event

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Back in December I was honoured to be asked onto the judging panel for the first Drapers Etail Awards, to celebrate the successes of online fashion stores over the past year.

Last Thursday night ASOS, My-Wardrobe.com, Mio Destino, Sarah Coggles, Schuh, Radley, Mulberry and Sole Heaven all picked up awards for their achievements in online retail.

Host Mica Paris and Drapers editor Lauretta Roberts

Hosted by singer and TV presenter Mica Paris, it was not only a night of champagne and networking but also an opportunity for movers and shakers in online fashion retail to pat each other on the back for an amazing year of growth.

The event was held at Sketch in Mayfair and some amazing dancers got the party started in style.

Dancers in monochrome set the tone for a stylish party

The team at Mulberry had permanent grins on their faces after winning Best Single Brand Etailer, as did the girls from lingerie website Mio Destino who won Best Marketing Initiative, a deserved award if any considering hours after getting it they told everyone on their email newsletter database; flawless.

The night really went to Sarah Curran and the team at My-Wardrobe who walked away with Best Etail Innovation (the click to buy in the video did it for me) and the Overall Winner Gold Award.

Here’s to another great year in online fashion retail!

Photos courtesy of Drapers Etail Awards and FashShot

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How did online shoe store Shudoo begin? Find out in this interview with co-founder Claire Russell.

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If you want to know what I think makes a successful fashion blog, and which two stores I think will do well, despite the economic downturn, read my interview with Chantelle Znideric.

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Read my interview with Alice Stone, designer and founder of Lily And Lionel on Drapers.

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I was asked to sit on the judging panel for the Drapers Etail Awards 2009. The first dedicated e-commerce awards scheme by the bible of the fashion business Drapers.

Led by Drapers editor Lauretta Roberts the judges – Myself, Zia Zareem-Slade, Julie Howell, Andy Houstoun, Rob Jones, Leisa Barnett and Peter Fitzgerald – discussed all the entries that successfully made it on to the shortlist.

It was interesting to see how the diverse mix of experiences in the room - fashion, e-commerce and retail - added a healthy objectiveness to the judging (I know I changed my mind on a few occasions).

We all brought something to the table, and it was our job to analyse applications and ensure others on the panel took into consideration the positives in submissions which they may not have noticed when scoring.

Good luck to everyone on the shortlist!

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Read my interview with Holly Watson, Website Manager of Rokit.co.uk on Drapers.

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Read my interview with Helen Brown, founder of Catwalk Genius on Drapers.

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Read my interview with Jamie Murray Wells founder of Glasses Direct on Drapers.

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Read my article Where’s Victoria Beckham’s website for DVB? on Drapers.

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Buying UGG boots online? Read my Drapers blog first

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This week on my Drapers blog you can find out how Jordan/Katie Price can market her equestrian clothing range online.

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