Lights, Camera, Fashion - prelude

I wrote this over the weekend and never got around to posting it until today. Last week was another event-filled week for me. This time around I was at a panel event about the rise of Manchester as a digital city, particularly its strong connections with online fashion.  It was sponsored by the BBC with Harvey Nichols providing the venue. There was also an exhibition by the Salford School of Arts & Media. It had the ambience of being at a fashion show – there was even a drinks reception at the start. On the other hand, I was in work clothes and didn’t feel particularly glamorous. Some people did make an effort. I also noticed a lot of students in the audience – I sat next to one girl who was furiously scribbling notes and so was I. All in all, it was two hours well-spent.

I didn't know beforehand that many successful e-commerce businesses are based in the North including Misguided, Boohoo, Little Black Dress and Pretty Little Thing. This is great news for my mom who wants to set up her own fashion business. She is the reason why I booked the tickets for this event in the first place and we went together. I thought it was important for her to get some exposure to this world and begin to learn the tricks of the trade. Not just in fashion, but the way we do business is changing and it makes sense to be aware of the key market trends so that your business model/idea isn’t anachronistic.

This event certainly didn’t disappoint in terms of the volume and quality of information that I got from of it. I liked that we were offered a blend of perspectives from different stakeholders in the online fashion world. We had Missguided to represent the online retailers and Glamour to represent the publishers of fashion news and style guides. We also had One Iota to represent the technology companies who provide the apps and online platforms to the retailers and, finally, Nadine Merabi to represent the designers and entrepreneurs.

There was an even split of genders on the panel – perhaps a deliberate choice. I noticed that the men – Edward (One Iota) and Mark (Missguided) had technical backgrounds compared to the women – Leanne (Glamour) and Nadine. This came across in the way they spoke about digitisation. Their responses were a lot more structured and precise. That being said, I thought each member had a unique insight which was just as valid as the next. The bottom-line is social media is an all-inclusive platform that’s capturing the imaginations of both laymen and techies. Though the angles and techniques may differ, there’s a shared vision and interest. This came across really well during the panel.

One of the goals I have for this blog is to be more concise. With that in mind, there will be a concluding part which will boil down to the finer details of what was said and by whom on this panel. To reflect the Q&A format, I will summarise the main questions asked and the answers given by the panellists – as I understood and recorded them. You should bear in mind that the answers have been paraphrased and will reflect my own views much more strongly than the views of the panellists. I am NOT a spokesperson for Missguided, Glamour, One Iota or Nadine Merabi.