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The World Wide Web has radically shaped the way we do business, in particular that of the fashion retail sector.

Estimated to be worth over £4.1bn by the end of 2009*, the sector is booming, with no self respecting high street retailer now without a transactional website. 

The savvy aren’t, however, solely using the web as a sales platform.

Responding to the rise in popularity of social media, a new culture is emerging, labelled by industry leaders as “democratic consumerism”.

Pioneering the move towards the new culture is Asda Chief Executive, Andy Bond, who recently announced plans to open up the workings of the business to scrutiny from customers in a move to build greater trust and long-term loyalty amongst shoppers. 

Among the range of initiatives to be introduced by the retailer is Asda’s new blog, http://www.aislespyblog.com/, which invites customers to participate in the buying process - voting on their favourite styles and colour ways.

Still in its infancy, the blog is already enjoying a positive response.  Speaking on it its launch Beth Somi, George Marketing and PR Manager, said: “http://www.aislespyblog.com/ is a great way for our customers to understand more about what goes on behind the scenes at Asda and to know more about our colleagues who work here.

“I enjoy talking to people about my job, so this is a great opportunity to do it while I’m at work. There is so much to talk about, we have new ranges launching in store every week so there is always something going on. The tough decision is knowing what to blog about so that I don’t bore everyone!

“I love the fact that I can ask for feedback on my blog and that the readers respond in such a positive way. It’s a great way for us to get instant ideas on our new ranges. As I speak to the teams here at George House, they are excited about what we can ask for comments on in the future.”

An example of an entirely web-based retailer epitomising democratic fashion is http://www.styleshake.com/.  Possibly one of the most ingenious fashion websites to launch in recent years, StyleShake.com puts the customer at the heart of the proposition, allowing the user to design a garment from scratch choosing fabric, colour style and trim.

The site goes against the typical nature of the fashion industry with trends that ‘trickle-down’ from the catwalk to the high street, asking the user to vote and design exactly what they want to wear.

It is also a fashion community with users rating and commenting on one another’s designs. Recent celebrity fans include Duffy and Holly Branson.

Not only good news for fashion addicts looking to create an individual look, StyleShake.com is a pretty good business model.  The retailer only produces what its users order so there is never over-supply; good for the environment and for the businesses overheads.

Chief Executive Officer of StyleShake.com, Iris Ben-David, comments: “StyleShake is all about empowering the user, providing them with the means to express themselves and celebrate their creativity. We are delighted to offer new ways of collaboration”.

The retailer’s vision is to become a leading online resource that revolutionises the way we consume fashion by making it much more personal and individual. 

A design obsessive from a tender age and regularly frustrated shopper, I personally, am delighted by what looks to be a customer-empowered future.  But what does democratic consumerism mean for the future of retail?

Its potential to impact on the overall business model is huge.  Armed with increased customer insight, the risk of costly, unpopular bulk buys will undoubtedly be lessened, reducing retailers’ need to discount and perhaps marking the beginning of the end of the January sale.  The retailer/supplier relationship will also inevitably see a change.   The potential for collections to be further tailored by store in response to regional demand an increasing reality.

Democratic consumerism, it’s an interesting one to watch, one I will certainly be following with a close eye.  

* Taken from Mintel’s Fashion Online report, August 2009

I spent an interesting evening last night at a Q&A event with River Island’s CEO Sir Richard Bradbury, organised by Manchester Fashion Network in association with Business Link. 

Having worked his way up from the shop floor of a small menswear retailer in Great Yarmouth to his current position as Chief Executive Officer at one of the UK’s leading fashion retailers, Sir Richard is certainly qualified to advise and educate on the retail industry.

Sir Richard talked very openly about his background at Burtons, his experience with the Chelsea Girl brand and his personal River Island story, before taking questions from the floor.

It was refreshing to hear, in the current climate, that it’s business as usual and the company is staying true to its customers and its own beliefs and strategy.  

While the recession is undoubtedly affecting businesses, River Island isn’t cutting back on investment, just wisely investing its money where it is likely to achieve a greater return.  

Cue less focus on traditional above-the-line advertising and more focus on attendance at events such as Graduate Fashion week; an event at which River Island has been the title sponsor for five consecutive years.  

Sir Richard understands that encouraging and investing in young talent can reap both commercial and creative rewards, and last night suggested that Britain is a nation of creatives, not ‘makers’. 

While strongly believing in nurturing Britain’s creative talent of tomorrow, online is also key for the future of River Island.

Its e-commerce site is a significant part of the business, with some of River Island’s best customers shopping online as well as in store, and the company is keen to evolve this with a new and improved site due to launch later this year.

I’ll be watching with interest to see how 2009 shapes up for River Island and despite the challenging market, expect them to continue serving up trends with the unique River Island style.

After reading Julie’s recent post on new men’s magazine Buck, I felt compelled to pick up a copy. Emblazoned with the title in a font reminiscent of a million UCLA hoodies and t-shirts seen around the UK recently, it is accompanied by a primary colour palate and a student lookey-likey on the front cover.

These facts conspired to convince me that I was actually looking at the latest copy of my old university’s monthly mag.  Inside, contrastingly, we are bombarded with adverts for high-end, aspirational brands. The back page for example carries an advert for Bombay Sapphire; the drink of choice for much of Britain’s upper-crust if there is no Tanqueray available.  

I was at this stage wondering who Buck was primarily aimed at. It concerns itself solely with the beautifully alliterative ‘food, furniture and fashion’. I presumed that due to this content it would be the affluent, fashion conscious city-dweller, in his mid-to-late twenties or early thirties. Indeed you would need a fair amount of disposable income to purchase most of what is advertised. The product reviews are along the same lines; £45 moisturizing balm anyone? £423.50 Cube lamp? Lemon and Coriander deodorant?

In my opinion the only place lemon and coriander should be combined is in a Thai curry.  Despite my misgivings, apparently Buck is aimed at me; the 20 year old male. Ok, I’m 21, but let’s not get pedantic here. All was rather baffling, as very little appealed to me. 

Things made a little more sense when I considered the fate of the current generation of men’s lifestyle mags, or as they have been known since the nineties; the lad’s mag. No matter whether you look to the top of the scale (GQ and Esquire) or at the bottom (Loaded, Zoo) they all follow essentially the same formula of cars, interviews, reviews, columns, gadgets, the odd recipe and a few nipples, and they define their originality and message by simply offering these joys in varying amounts and contexts.  

But declining sales figures across the board for men’s lifestyle magazines have shown that this formula is no longer working. It is not because men’s base desires are changing. Rather, that due to the new environment of media saturation and the ubiquitousness of internet access, we don’t have to lug around a 400 page magazine, and wait a month for the pleasure.

Nearly anything you would find in a mag you can get on the net, and most people now have a full web browser on their mobile phones.  Perhaps based on this realisation and the fact that a new generation of more discerning consumers expect a magazine to offer something more than a monthly summary of manliness, Buck’s limited, more focused remit, could be the way forward. 

This bold new direction is admirable, but still, if people of my age – apparently its core demographic – can’t relate to the magazine, is it doomed to failure? Not necessarily. Apart from the terrible front cover, this magazine would be damn good coffee table fodder. It would fit in, opened at a random page, in a Harley Street waiting room or the First Class airport lounge I used to work in.  It might not sell like hot cakes at a local newsagent, but I bet within a year Buck has a hell of a lot of subscribers, even if they are companies and not individuals.

My summary? I wouldn’t buy Buck to read something cool, but I could always buy Buck to look cool.  

THE NEW MEN’S MAGAZINE WITH MORE THAN NAKED LADIES

Only the other day I was asking my male colleagues if they knew of any credible male fashion/lifestyle websites… Welcome Buck, a new lad’s mag and website aimed at the modern dandy, with food features, fashion and interiors in place of topless women.

The brainchild of Steve Doyle, a 26-year old with a background in fashion and publishing, as well as a year working in the City, Buck strives to carve a niche in the men’s magazine market, bridging the gap between high-end fashion titles such as Another Man and established mainstream publications GQ and Arena.

Refreshingly different, over a quarter of the magazine’s content is food-related.  Restaurant and bar reviews, recipes, debates and good old fashioned cookery tips that guarantee you’ll be able to serve up a good Sunday roast are a plenty and feature alongside a healthy smattering of fashion and style, Buck’s primary focus.

In an interview with The Independent Doyle describes the target reader: “He knows his own style.  He’s very confident with dressing the way he wants, cooking with friends, living his life the way he wants to.  He doesn’t want to aspire to a lifestyle, or to be told by that magazine what to do.”

A secret follower of men’s fashion and avid supporter of any new developments in the men’s magazine arena, I really hope Buck manages to succeed where so many others have failed, but does it really stand a chance?

Launched in November 2008, in a year that saw many of the men’s titles struggle - Maxim’s sales were down 59.6 per cent year on year, FHM down 10 per cent and Loaded down 20.8 per cent - the magazine has certainly taken on a challenge. It’s one, it appears, the ten-man Buck team are prepared to take head on.  With its third edition currently on shelf and a full year’s themed issues planned and in progress, Buck means business.

Buck is available at WHSmith, Borders, Tesco, and all good newsagents.  Or visit http://www.buckstyle.com/