Site-seeing in 2004
The California Apparel News’ Web site, www.apparelnews.net, has been online since 1995, and during that time, we have seen many sites come, go or transform in a variety of ways. As the medium has evolved at a breathtaking rate, the apparel industry has put the Web to good use as a retail channel, a brand-building and marketing tool, and a business-to-business marketplace. The sites that have stood the test of time—contributing significantly to their owners’ marketing goals—have two things in common: They look good, and they function well.
Looking good is a matter of superior graphic design. Aesthetics is, of course, not quantifiable, but good images and sophisticated-yet-simple page layout make for satisfied viewers who see things that excite the imagination and make them want more.
Functionality is about a pleasant user experience. Easy navigation through a site is primary. Download time is no less important. Most viewers will not sit still for an extended waiting time, no matter how impressive the graphics, animation and sound are. Achieving a balance between simplicity and special effects usually wins the day, with the reward of return visitors.
Following are sites that currently exhibit both aesthetics and smooth functionality. We invite you to add to the list by writing us at webmaster@apparelnews.net. For now, bookmark these, and you’ll be entertained, informed and inspired.
www.delias.com Fresh, sassy and full of easily accessible content, Delia’s site is a frontrunner in juniors apparel. It gets the viewer to products fast and emphasizes remarkable savings on just about everything. One simple-yet-nifty graphic trick holds the site together, beginning with the logo, “dELiAs*cOm,” and continuing throughout the pages in phrases such as “*dO U eVeR wOnDeR.” Bright colors and updated graphics for each season also work well. This smart, hip site speaks clearly to its audience.
Also watch: www.internationalmale.com and www.ebay.com
www.dollhouse.com Now in its third or fourth incarnation, this completely remade site has continued to grow in sophistication. Because it uses multimedia Flash software, the site takes a little time to load, but the wait is worth it because Dollhouse uses the loading time to advantage with cool dance music. The mostly brand-building site features the “Collection” (young women’s garments and accessories) along with a very useful store finder, which supports its retailers while reminding us that Dollhouse rocks.
Also watch: Italy’s www.fornarina.com and Britain’s www.ghost.ltd.uk
www.premierevision.fr The twice-yearly Paris-based Premiegrave;re Vision trade show for fashion trend information is served well by this site. Color and fabric trends for the next two years are some of the site’s most important offerings. The site promotes the show and its exhibitors more elegantly and stylishly than any trade show site we have seen. It far exceeds the usual emphasis on selling booth space by offering sound intellectual resources for anyone involved in the design, manufacturing and marketing of fashion garments— a powerful soft sell to both exhibitors and attendees. Aesthetically, the site is very comfortable to view, with lots of white space for breathing room and logical presentations of information.
Also watch: www.interstoff.com and www.surfexpo.com
www.americasmart.com While many major domestic sites will not even let you in on tenant lists or seasonal show exhibitors (opting mainly to emphasize leasing space), Atlanta’s AmericasMart site does everything to convenience the retail buyer, thus supporting its existing tenants. A site-wide search feature provides over-the-top ease of use, with downloadable PDF access to the “Exhibitors’ Handbook” and other publications.
Also watch: www.gerrybuilding.com
www.sowear.com SoWear Inc. is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting emerging fashion talent. The site enables an effortless exchange among artists, consumers and the fashion community. It offers a unique creative space for artists (at no cost) to experiment with innovative ideas and a place for media and buyers to learn what is happening in the forward-thinking fashion community. Lots of cool young designers show their stuff here.
Also watch: www.paulfrank.com
www.magiconline.com This site has seen many incarnations and has remained innovative through them all. If you have two minutes to kill, the Flash intro is a sumptuous cheerleading vision of the contemporary glamour of today’s apparel industry. Or bypass the intro, and get to the meat of the site, which allows members to review, buy and reorder styles online anytime, anywhere. You can also tailor the site to meet your current needs.
Also watch: www.stylesmart.com and www.meetworldtrade.com
Bookmark this: Fashion Schools
www.fidm.com The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising offers the West Coast’s—and arguably, the nation’s— most extensive program for the study of all facets of the apparel industry. The site is an excellent resource for students and anyone interested in apparel, costume, interior and fashion design and marketing.
Developed since the earliest days of the Web, the site far exceeds the other fashion schools online, with fast-loading videos that include alumni testimonials and fashion shows. Prospective students can initiate the application process online, and the site fully explains all the courses available for the school’s nine majors. The site also refers visitors to three branch sites that handle specialized interests: www.fashionclub.com, www.promadvice.com and www.fashionmuseum.org.
Also watch: www.otis.edu
www.doneger.com/index_guest.asp Like many research sites, Doneger Online requires membership, but it delivers an expert team of fashion industry consultants specializing in business analysis, trend identification and more. The associated Doneger Marketplace, which also requires membership, offers an extensive list of apparel resources for retailers. All in all, membership is well worth the investment.
Also watch: www.fashionwindows.com, www.apparelandfootwear.org, www.nrf.com (the National Retail Federation’s site) and www.wgsn.com (the home of the Worth Global Style Network)
www.lectra.com The site of Paris-based Lectra offers a complete suite of Webenabled services in addition to welldesigned hardware and software presentations. LectraOnline allows companies to exchange product data with their supply-chain partners in a secure Internet environment. Designs, patterns, specs, fabric and trimming details, style catalogs, and more can all be shared quickly, securely and efficiently with partners and company designates. Everyone involved in the product development cycle, inside or outside the company, can organize, centralize and share all technical data relating to design, manufacture and sales within a single space and in real time.
Also watch: www.tukaweb.com and www.assyst-intl.com
