Guest Post By Jessica Quillin, Ph.D.

In the UK, as in the US, digital media has taken the fashion and luxury industry by storm. New and established firms must have an active and adaptable media strategy in place in order to deal with the changing landscape of technology and the discerning tastes of modern online consumers. Indeed, as a recent article in the UK Telegraph suggested, digital media is essential to the success and perhaps survival of young designers in an ever-growing fashion marketplace.

One UK company that has quickly established a digital media presence for itself is the Young British Designers. According to the Telegraph, the Young British Designers is number 18 on the list of the Top 50 Fashion Insiders in the UK. The site offers this season’s designs from, not surprisingly, young British designers, many of whom have shown only one or two collections, if that. Indeed, some of the designers who have shown early promise are barely out of school. Yet, these are designers who already have some notoriety, including Jasper Garvida, Felicity Brown, Kinder Aggugini, Eudon Choi, and Jena.Theo, to name a few.

In summer 2010, the Young British Designers began an active social media campaign, using Twitter and later Facebook to promote their forthcoming website. This pre-launch promotional work came to a climax with the distribution of a teaser film in August in advance of the September launch. The trailer, which was conceptualized and designed by company Creative Director Stuart Jackson and created by photographer Elisabeth Hoff and film director Oliver Warren, featured a wild-haired model wearing a series of outfits from designers whose work would be sold on the site. According to company co-founder Debra Hepburn, the goal of the film “was one of creating an immediate entrance … that in a mere minute could introduce a brave new brand and dazzle … [but] in a very visual and engaging style with a touch of quirky essential British humor.”

Similarly, the Young British Designers’ website, also designed by Jackson, seeks to maintain the same technology- and consumer-friendly approach of the company’s early promotional work. The site offers flat-rate national and international shipping, and includes selections from featured designers in a variety of shapes beyond the standard sample size. The site also features a blog written mainly by Hepburn, and contains a “She Wears It Well” section, encouraging customers to send photos of themselves in their favorite designs.

Like many brands, the Young British Designers rely on regular e-mail updates and social media to keep customers aware of upcoming collections and promotions. The early success of the company also allowed them to continue to expand their online presence, which recently included the launch of a Facebook shop, making them the second UK fashion site behind ASOS to have such a retail page.

However, it is the company’s hands-on approach to Twitter and Facebook that seems to keep customers engaged. Indeed, co-founder Hepburn chats daily, even hourly, with customers on various media platforms about fashion, their designers, and more contentious subjects, such as the issue of size in the fashion industry. Hepburn notes, “We have very much embraced all digital marketing channels. Our personal favorites are the blog and Twitter. The first enables us to tell a story, be it ours or a designer’s. The latter enables us to have a time continuum conversation with like-minded people in an intelligent 140-character space. Naturally all channels work alongside each other to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.”

From a US perspective, the rapid success of the Young British Designers’ foray into the online retail world exemplifies the power of digital media to establish a global brand presence. Indeed, from their earliest sales, they immediately found themselves with customers from all over the world, largely because of their active social media campaign. Hepburn comments, “Fashion has always been about discovery… Digital media feeds superbly into this whispering, gossiping, [and] sharing culture and explodes ‘approved new news’ around the globe. Brands can be created and launched and grown within mere hours, days, weeks. New designers can take their creations to the world rather than wait for a reluctant world to pass by.”

Finally, as a brand with a purposefully nationalistic slant, the Young British Designers have cornered the market against competitors not only by providing fashion-hungry consumers access to exclusive designs from emerging young talent; but also they have created an online market where there was none, particularly as most of their designers sell their wares on a very limited basis.

About the Author:  Jessica Quillin is a writer, author, lecturer, researcher, and Managing Director of Quillin Consulting, LLC. Her company focuses on brand strategy, marketing, and communications for the public and private sectors, particularly the fashion/luxury industry, education, and the performing arts. She holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Cambridge.