NEW YORK — At the Apple store in SoHo on Thursday morning, Norma Kamali unzipped her black silk jumpsuit to reveal a black-and-white graphic T-shirt she had designed on an iPhone application in a cab on the way from home to work one day.
“Technology is opening up many new worlds” and democratizing fashion by making it instantly available, she said.
In that spirit, Kamali unveiled a designer collection that will be sold exclusively on eBay at wholesale prices. The company also released an iPhone application for viewing all three Norma Kamali collections, press clips, YouTube videos and Kamali’s blog. Also new is a game on Roiworld with stylish avatars who don wigs, shoes and every item in the 15-piece Norma Kamali line for Wal-Mart.
“All the things on here,” she said, holding up the iPhone and referring to her three clothing collections, “are available here today, not three months from today.” Anyone could walk out of the Apple store that minute and order an item over their iPhone from the application (although the transactions will be completed on each company’s respective Web site).
You May Also Like
A presentation of all three lines — the Norma Kamali Collection, Norma Kamali for eBay and Norma Kamali for Wal-Mart — took place outside the store after Kamali spoke. A row of models lined Greene Street and each held a sign identifying the collection she was wearing. To Kamali’s credit, when integrated for the presentation, the three collections were virtually indistinguishable, which speaks to the level of design. The clothes were organized by color: red, black, white, gray and a standout striped section.
Kamali’s signature jersey, wrapping, short pleated skirts and matching jackets were all there at a range of prices. A gray terry A-line hooded coat from Wal-Mart costs $18, a gray jumpsuit on eBay goes for $150, and a transparent ruched Victorian-style jacket in the Collection is $1,500. The most expensive item in the 23-piece eBay line is a coat for $285.
The Collection is now made entirely in the U.S., Kamali added.
Although this is the most difficult time to start a fashion business, it is also the most exciting time, she said. A talented person open to learning about technology and marketing can become famous and sell via the iPhone and the Web without ever having to open a showroom and with less capital than in the past, she said.
The impetus for the company’s foray into new ways of selling started last fall with the nosedive of the economy, Kamali said. “I felt the impact of the change that was happening. Fewer people were walking into the store. Stores were scared. Everybody was frightened. I wondered if our bank was going to stay in business. At the same time, I noticed more customers were buying on the Web site.”
Kamali said she knows there is a brisk trade in her vintage pieces on eBay, and also that people resell the Wal-Mart pieces for twice the price. So she researched eBay selling for three months, and also decided to do an iPhone app, which came together in only three weeks.
“I’m throwing everything up on the wall, and we’ll see what sticks and what doesn’t,” she said.
Returns are not accepted on the eBay line or on Kamali’s own Web site, but shoppers with questions are encouraged to contact the company through Skype, the popular service for making free long-distance video calls over the Internet.
The Kamali staff has been using Skype to communicate with customers and overseas suppliers. (Kamali joked that whoever makes the call combs their hair first before dialing.) The Norma Kamali Web store also offers a “Try Before You Buy” service that lets clients consider an item for 48 hours before committing.
Kamali said she has no plans to close her Manhattan store and go entirely virtual, but she does think about moving to a new store with the latest technology.
The brand has a Facebook page; a Twitter feed; a blog that Kamali writes herself about once a month, and videos on YouTube.
Technology “is already affecting the business very positively,” she said. “We see a tremendous increase in Web sales.”
“We need to present ourselves in a new way,” she continued. “I remember the revolutionary things that happened in the Sixties and I took part in them.” New technologies such as the iPhone are the biggest cultural revolution since the Sixties, she said.