Nurturing brands is central to YNAP’s modus operandi, from scouting emerging designers to supporting established houses in their move into online retail. Young talents has always been a focal point of this; from our early days with YOOX’s fashion scouting program which launched in 2004, to THE NEXT TALENTS established in 2011 with Vogue Italia, and our now global web of partnerships to educate and engage future generations including the YOOXYGEN curriculum at Parsons School of Design.
Leveraging on our group’s long-term expertise as an incubator of the industry’s talent, today NET-A-PORTER is introducing a new mentorship program; The Vanguard. Elizabeth von der Goltz, Global Buying Director at NET-A-PORTER, takes a look at how the programme came to fruition and where she envisages it going.
Where did the idea of The Vanguard come from?
The Vanguard is not a new approach for us, rather it is a way of strengthening the advisory and support roles we have been offering brands since our inception.
As an entrepreneur turned industry leader ourselves, there is a real instinctive desire at YNAP to lend a hand to budding talents and the brands of tomorrow. Our teams are immersed in that entrepreneurial culture day-to-day, generating a passion and willingness to share their knowledge and experience with others.
The Vanguard is simply about formulating all this into a well-wrapped package; creating an incubator for the nascent brands NET-A-PORTER believe have the potential to make their mark on the fashion landscape for seasons to come, as well as strengthening our capacity as a trend and style advisor for our clientele.
How did you design the program?
Launching a fashion brand is all about a two-pronged approach; combining the right mix of a designer’s creative talents and business acumen.
We have mapped out a comprehensive mentorship program, focusing on business strategy, marketing and buying training, as well as sessions on social media and tech. To ensure a rich one-to-one learning experience, only 3 to 4 designers will be selected per season. They will be taken under the wing of NET-A-PORTER’s global team of experts, granting them incomparable hands-on experience and guidance on how to build their own successful, sustainable businesses.
Beyond the training sessions, the brands will also have the chance to be featured in our #NETSET fashion week campaigns, along with invaluable market exposure, with an online store front for their collections on NET-A-PORTER.
What outcomes do you hope for from The Vanguard?
First and foremost, The Vanguard aims to create value for the young designers themselves, in terms of brand development. But, the value of the program will go far beyond this.
The Vanguard is also about us, as an industry leader, taking responsibility for where our industry is going; equipping the next generation of leaders with the knowledge required to protect the heritage of luxury, whilst driving it responsibly into the future.
We are firm believers at NET-A-PORTER that you can no longer be a successful brand if you are not also a conscious one, and so self-sustainability will be spotlighted throughout the mentoring sessions.
And of course, in creating this ecosystem for emerging talent to thrive successfully and sustainably, we also hope to deliver original and fresh design perspectives to NET-A-PORTER’s fashion-savvy global clientele; continuing to be the fashion authority that we are concerning style and trends, and offering an exclusive curation of the hottest new designers.
