shopthemag.com: Asia's first luxury fashion portal

Fashionistas know to click on NET-A-PORTER for their fix of Marchesa, Hussein Chalayan and Phillip Lim, but where does one go to purchase coveted Asian labels such as Manish Arora and Japan’s Akira Nara?

Until recently, it would have been a challenge to track them down, but with the launch of shopthemag.com, cutting-edge Asian fashion is now readily accessible to the world.

Based in Singapore, shopthemag.com has launched just as online retail is on the up in Asia. According to comScore, 53.8 percent of Singaporean internet users have visited an online retailer. A further study done by Visa calculates that Singaporeans spend on average US$1,892 (S$2,347) per user on international sites. China Internet Watch estimates 87 million online Chinese users shopped online in the first six months of 2009. And according to APIRA, online shopping adoption rate in 2009 grew at a rate of 144.8 percent.

While shopthemag.com’s director and founder Corinne Ng does not want the site to be compared to NET-A-PORTER, the similarities are undeniable.

Both have an online magazine to help shoppers pull looks together and both specialize in making high-end fashion accessible to online shoppers. But the key difference is that shopthemag.com exclusively stocks designers based in Asia.

Ng, a self-confessed fashion addict, is no stranger to the industry. She’s spent more than 12 years working on fashion magazines such as ELLE, Harper’s BAZAAR, Cleo and style, and is currently the group editor for MediaCorp’s stable of magazines.

Dedicated to bringing authenticity back to an industry dominated by big brand names, it was her passion that brought about shopthemag.com.

For eight months, Ng’s evenings were spent together with husband and co-director Damien Low, working the phones to persuade the 17 designers to come on board.

The site, live since March 1, stocks an impressive list of designers from the globally-noted alldressedup to newbie Thai brand Nsha Atelier. Also on the site are Indonesian jewelry label Jewel Rocks, Mercedes-Benz STYLO Designer of the Year 2010 Khoon Hooi from Malaysia and Singaporean Vicky Tay’s Burgundy.

Other brands such as Apercu, known for their neutral colours and beautiful draping, cite shopthemag.com as their exclusive online retailer.

“So many women like Asian designers but don’t know where to find them,” Ng says. “Asian fashion has grown so much. It’s more than beaded kaftans. It’s exciting, unexplained, fresh and new.”

This newness reflects in Ng’s choice of designers, who must not only produce works that “leverage off the Asian culture,” but also carry an interesting story.

“Fashion needs to find authenticity,” Ng says. “Each label has to have a romantic story behind it.”

Ng cites Song as an example, a whimsical yet fashion-forward blend of the chic French aesthetic with Vietnamese craftsmanship.

“I love this amalgamation of cultures,” says Ng. “Designer Valerie McKenzie is inspired by her new culture [in Vietnam], but she still respects where she comes from.”

Song will launch on the site in September with its Fall/Winter 2011 collection.

For Ng, authenticity is key. One of her designers was so particular about protecting their image, they rejected a potentially lucrative offer from a much bigger online retailer to go with shopthemag.com.

“We showed commitment to the brand, we’re not just a global retailer trying to make a quick buck,” Ng say. “We got their story right.”

Targeting women aged between 25 and 50, the site has already churned S$100,000 in sales since March with 80 percent of its client base coming from Asia, with the other 20 percent hailing from the United States and Europe.

Of her Asian custom, 80 percent of the sales are derived from Singapore.

Not bad given the site’s only form of marketing has been a viral campaign via Facebook, Twitter and a press release to the major fashion mastheads.

“Asia is ready,” says Ng. “Now the designers … can hold their own against overseas brands. So little is known about Asian fashion, but I knew, and I wanted other women to know.”

Ng proudly shows off a whimsical piece of jewelry from Thai brand Disaya. Known to celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Amy Winehouse, it is stocked on the floors of Harrods and Le Bon Marche, but yet few knew of its heritage.

“Hello?!” Ng says. “Credit due. This is from Asia!”

While the site is still in its infancy, Ng wants to expand its range of designers and price points.

“I also want to discover new talent and push it into the international forum,” says Ng.

Currently, shopthemag.com offers products that range from US$50 (S$62) to US$1,400 (S$1,736), with an average price point of US$500 (S$620). Ng’s next step is to search for great quality at a lower average price point of US$400 (S$496).

She also hopes by next season she will have a total of 25 designers on board including Thai jeweler tête-à-tête, the second season of new Indonesian brand Blackheart (also stocked by Topshop in London) and Song.

So what about those comparisons to NET-A-PORTER, the retail giant that boasts 2.5 million visitors a month and was sold for £350 million (S$707 million) to luxury group Richemont last year?

While Ng happily accepts the compliments, she insists her vision is to do the best she can.

“I don’t aim to be a copy but I hope to learn from NET-A-PORTER’s success. We want to be small but good.”