Net-a-porter Pulls 42 Designers Into One Holiday Capsule

Net-a-porter, the online luxury retailer, has put together a holiday capsule collection made from the work of 42 designer brands. The collection launches on Monday.

A capsule collection is a small, limited range of clothes and accessories, usually released for a single season. This one draws on many labels at once rather than a single designer. WWD reports that the retailer describes the holiday campaign as a collective design proposition, and as a first for the company.

Brands in the collection include Saint Laurent, the Paris fashion house, along with Dolce & Gabbana, the Italian label, Rabanne, Aaron Esh, Nour Hammour, Vivienne Westwood, the British label, and Jimmy Choo, the shoe and accessories brand. Among the pieces listed are a sheer dress by Dilara Findikoglu, a burgundy one-shoulder gown trimmed with feathers and sequins from Taller Marmo, a velvet Mandarin jacket by Róhe, and drawstring pouches by Sophie Buhai.

The retailer's chief executive, Heather Kaminetsky, is at the centre of the company's current direction. In March, she told WWD that her goals were to rebuild a profitable business that sells at full price, meaning without markdowns, and to restore Net-a-porter's standing in fashion through a more focused, highly styled vision. The holiday capsule fits that description of a tighter, curated offer, with many labels presented under one banner.

Net-a-porter also cohosted a dinner at the British Museum in London with the label Erdem during Frieze Week, the run of events around the Frieze art fairs. Guests had a private viewing of the Bayeux Tapestry, the long embroidered cloth that tells the story of the 1066 Norman conquest of England.

For the wider industry, the project shows one way a retailer can bring many brands into a single campaign. Each label keeps its own name on its pieces, while the retailer sets the frame around them. Whether shoppers respond to that model will become clearer once sales figures are published.