Luxury fashion brand joins e-commerce marketplace

Friday, March 28, 2014 - 10:06 by Sarah Collinson

Tom Ford is a brand associated with the upper echelons of the fashion industry, although until this week, it did not offer customers a way to purchase items directly online.

The launch of tomford.com which occurred on Wednesday, is a sign that even boutique brands feel that it is necessary to have a presence on the web, because without one, there is always the chance that their image can be sullied by unscrupulous third parties.

The new site is currently only available to shoppers in the US, with international shipping yet to be rolled out. But you can expect that eventually this will change, as it is obviously advantageous for such a site to cater to a global audience.

Ford himself released a statement about the site, explaining that on top of the 98 bricks and mortar stores that operate under his brand worldwide, the e-commerce site will be a great place for customers to check out new products and commit to a purchase.

Ford also said that he did not want to rush into delivering shopping online through a dedicated platform, so was patient in his launch of the site.

It is clear that web design has been taken just as seriously as the design of his clothing and accessories, as the site looks great and feels modern, with the emphasis being placed on imagery, as you would imagine.

Ford has previously been critical of the way that digital technologies have influenced the fashion world, but seems to have come around to the idea, if only because of the sheer momentum that the e-commerce industry has generated in recent years.

Even fashion gurus cannot resist the pull of e-commerce, although for most of us, the idea of spending several hundred pounds on a pair of sunglasses is perhaps a little over the top.