Net-A-Porter Lines Up 4 Brilliant New Designers For SS19

Net-a-porter.com formalised its commitment to nurturing young brands when it launched its incubator programme The Vanguard in August 2018. Now, the e-tailer has welcomed a second wave of new designers onto the website with the promise of marketing, buying and business mentorship; inclusion in the most valuable promotional spots; presence in the showrooms, press events and lookbooks; and social media and influencer campaigns.

Peter Do, Commission, Anne Manns and Ratio et Motus will join the brands spotlighted during the first season of The Vanguard – Les Rêveries, RŪH, Gu_de and Souliers Martinez – and will appear in splashy visuals on Net-a-porter.com. The team found Peter Do on Instagram after model Maggie Maurer posted a lookbook from the former Céline employee on her page. Similarly, the buyers spotted Ratio et Motus’s double frame bag on social media and went to meet the brand in New York the day after. Anne Manns, another Insta find, captured Net-a-porter.com's attention when her pea and aubergine-inspired earrings cropped up on their feeds. Commission, meanwhile, was passed on via industry contacts owing to the designers' original take on shirting and tailoring.

“The trio behind Commission take influence from diverse sources such as the globalisation of Asia and New York’s youth culture and corporate dressing,” Elizabeth von der Goltz, Net-a-porter.com's global buying director, tells Vogue. “We love the boxy shirt, but overall it’s their retro take on the ’80s working woman with amazing tailoring that we love, mixed with sexy ’90s dresses.”

The accelerator programme for the vegetable earrings and sleek workwear is set to be fruitful. Gu_de saw great sales during its launch season, as customers bought into the trend for vintage bags and responded well to its “Milky” mock-croc top-handle bag. And Les Rêveries’ floral dresses flew off the virtual shelves thanks to Net-a-porter.com’s advice on how to market and position the brand creatively.

“Being part of the Net-a-porter.com selection validated us in the fashion market, and we were contacted soon after by other important retailers from all around the world,” Souliers Martinez shares. “It also committed to buying a consistent and substantial volume of products from the first season, which is extremely important for young designers from a production point of view.”

Customer feedback has been positive too, as Net-a-porter.com’s discerning shopper is always on the hunt for undiscovered labels. “Shoppers love that we support young emerging talent,” adds von der Goltz. “The Vanguard provides a specific destination for them to discover and learn about them". Spring/summer 2019 looks fresher already.