While not exactly a bastion of designer labels, Latvia has wholeheartedly embraced the buy-now trend for runway shows.
Participants in the most recent round of Riga Fashion Week were encouraged by Baltic Fashion Federation representatives to offer buy-now runway looks. Alise Trautmane, who presents her Narciss collection and is a former Latvia Designer of the Year winner, was one of the first to offer buy-now looks.
During the five-day event, which ended earlier this month, attendees at each show were told beforehand whether the upcoming collection was a buy-now one, and if so, where it was being sold. “It was a little commercial. That had never happened before but it supported the designers. They were acknowledging, ‘Why not shop the collection?’” Trautmane said. “About 400 of the 600 people at the shows were potential clients.”
Having recently stopped doing trade shows, an increasingly popular cost-cutting measure for independent designers, Trautmane said eliminating wholesale is another. With a store in Riga, as well as e-commerce, Trautmane also recently cofounded with Sai Kong a co-sharing store/space called Dreams on Air that features 30 designers in New York City. “I already publicize all the [runway] looks on social media. It doesn’t make sense to tell customers,
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