Amazon tests catwalk-to-home one-hour delivery

LONDON •Amazon is giving new meaning to the phrase "fast fashion".

The online retailer aims to take the "see now, buy now" model of making clothes seen in catwalk shows quickly available to consumers to a new level - offering one-hour delivery for items presented in a fashion show on Saturday night to buyers in London.

Former Diesel creative director Nicola Formichetti's Nicopanda label has partnered with the online giant for the initiative, featuring a selection of clothes seen at the label's London Fashion Week show.

The clothes comprise a six-piece unisex streetwear collection, including a hoodie, a long-sleeved tee, a bomber jacket, an oversized scarf, a clutch bag and leggings.

The one-hour delivery option will be available only to Amazon Prime members in London.

"Nicopanda's designs immediately turn heads," Ms Susan Saideman, vice-president for Amazon Fashion Europe, said.

"We're excited to bring such an exciting brand to our customers for the first time."

Nicopanda is known for brightly coloured streetwear, adorned with graphic motifs, including its cartoon panda.

Amazon has been making inroads into the apparel industry - launching its own label, Find, as well as a try- before-you-buy subscription-based box shopping service.

But speedy delivery is a new twist on an existing business model.

Amazon and Nicopanda are not the only labels embracing the "see now, buy now" idea at London Fashion Week, with big labels, including Burberry, Topshop and Tommy Hilfiger, pursuing similar strategies.

Some major labels have adopted the model in recent years, but it is unclear if it represents a direction the whole industry will move in.

Labels such as Tom Ford and Thai-American designer Thakoon Panichgul's eponymous label notably abandoned the strategy after experimenting with it at their shows.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 18, 2017, with the headline Amazon tests catwalk-to-home one-hour delivery. Subscribe