That photographic search function, now called Google Images, was launched in 2001 as a direct response to Donatella Versace’s design for Lopez. Fast forward to 2019, and the two reunited for a show in Milan that celebrated the anniversary of the dress that awoke the internet, and created one of the first landmark interactions between the fashion industry and tech. That night JLo wore a new version of the historic dress—and searches immediately spiked all over again.—Luke Leitch
Net-a-Porter Proves It’s Not About Being First, but About Being Best
As the millennium approached, the internet, still a nascent technology, was looked at with equal amounts of excitement and distrust. In the 1990s, the rise of personal computers and the invention of the web browser had given way to the so-called dot-com boom, where much like during the gold rush, people went crazy with possibility and new websites and online companies flourished—consider the fact that literally none existed before—and were rewarded with almost endless amounts of investment money. When the bubble inevitably burst in March of 2000, it seemed to reinforce the doubts that many had about the newfangled technology. At least where e-commerce was concerned, the 2000s kicked off with trepidation; Boo.com, a much ballyhooed online store aimed at young people, carried a mix of fashion and sports merch, and snazzy functionality that included 360-degree views of the garments and a virtual assistant (Miss Boo), that would aid customers with their shopping. Except it turned out that it was all a bit too snazzy, most computers were running on dial-up, which was too slow to load all the animations, and it also initially didn’t work on Macintosh computers. After only two years, and having spent $135 million dollars in investment cash, Boo was forced into bankruptcy.
It was into this ecosystem that LVMH launched eLuxury.com, which sold leather goods by Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, and Fendi, among others, along with beauty essentials like face cream from La Prairie. Around the same time, Natalie Massenet, a former fashion editor, launched Net-a-Porter in 2000, although success didn’t come at once, she slowly built a steady base thanks in part to many of the fashion contacts she had made working in magazines. While eLuxury didn’t survive the decade, by 2005, Massenet’s Net-a-Porter was reporting sales of $16 million, and has since gone on to become the online store that set the precedent for every other store that followed it. The secret likely boils down Massenet’s editorial point of view: she curated Net-a-Porter’s homepage just like the shopping pages of a fashion magazine, highlighting trends but also breaking them down in an approachable manner. Add to that, above-and-beyond customer service that allowed literal first-time online shoppers to take a chance on buying something, knowing that they could easily return it without worrying or incurring extra charges. At the same time, because luxury labels themselves weren’t rushing to join the digital sphere, Net-a-Porter was able to capture the clientele from many brands. As fashion and technology continued evolving, so did Net-a-Porter: a year before Alexander McQueen streamed the legendary “Plato’s Atlantis” collection online, he had staged a mini-runway show for the pre-spring 2009 collection, that was immediately available for purchase and delivered within a day to most locations. A decade later, Net-A-Porter had gone from upstart to establishment; Massenet sold a majority stake to Richemont for £50 million.—Laia Garcia-Furtado
When Is a Coffee Table Not a Coffee Table?