Why Vetements Won't Open Its Own Online Shop

In the same week that Céline announced it would be embracing e-commerce and launching its own online shop later this year, fellow trailblazer on the Paris Fashion Week scene Vetements has outlined the reasons why it won't be following them down the same digital road.

"Regarding our direct e-commerce, we’re very loyal people and most of these online stores, they helped us to build this company. And it feels wrong to go there and take a piece of their pie away," CEO Guram Gvasalia explained to WWD. "My top five e-stores represent about half of my business. The dimensions of the orders and the dimensions of the merchandise you can sell online, it’s insane. The main stores are in big cities and now there are so many people outside of main cities that are starting to be aware of fashion."

So while no e-commerce is on the horizon, what about a physical bricks-and-mortar space? Not so, according to Gvasalia. Ever practical, the co-founder of the luxurious streetwear label he founded with his designer brother, Demna, wants to stick to what he knows he - and the brand - do best.

"The biggest problem to have your own store is that you always need to have stock in your store. It means that you need to oversaturate to buy, and whether you want it or not, in order for the store to represent the brand, you will go on sale," he explained, referring to his famous sales strategy of providing less than the demand so that the brand always sells out and remains exclusive (as he explained to Suzy Menkes at the Vogue Festival last summer). "I think if you’re a piano player, you should play piano. I think it’s best for us to invest our energy in creating the product, and understanding the environment, being ahead and coming up with good things, and not to involve ourselves in the retail business."

One extra space he is happy to invest in, however, is the house's new 16,000-foot space in Zurich, where the brand has relocated its HQ to. As well as offering the atelier "decent light" it's a space that he feels his creative director brother - who splits his time between Vetements and Balenciaga where he is also creative director - will be able to thrive in.

"It’s about finding balance in life, for myself, for the company and for Demna," he revealed. "You know, six collections a year [for Vetements and Balenciaga] is a lot of creativity for one person. I want him to be able to breathe, and dream and paint. Demna has always been an incredible artist. His paintings are unbelievable. I sometimes think his art is even stronger than his clothes."