Moda Operandi Takes One Step Back by Launching In-Season Online Boutiques

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As we warned in June, a $36 million investment has given the relatively new and extremely successful designer trunk show site Moda Operandi serious ammo for expansion into more traditional online business models, oddly enough. And now the option to order this-season goods has launched, sort of. Holiday boutiques including jewelry by Fred Leighton and one Jason Wu bag, which promise to be delivered by mid-December, are available today, but a formal launch goes down on December 7.

Look forward to a site makeover complete with a choice to preorder runway collection per usual or shop in-season boutiques from the likes of Marc Jacobs, Marni, Peter Som, Prabal Gurung, and so many more. That means you can "buy it now" and order for later in one fell swoop.

While the suits at MO are confident their luxury customer will respond well to the additional model, founder Aslaug Magnúsdóttir explained that "When we tell [our investors] we're going to start doing traditional retail, some of them were like, 'That's no good compared to your traditional business model.'" One thing that could sooth investors' worries is the combo in-season and pre-sale model has an almost foolproof fashion forecasting built into it. MO will know what people want because the top tier of luxury shoppers will have already bought it.
· Moda Operandi Launches In-Season E-commerce [WWD]
· In Case You Were Wondering, This Is What Moda Operandi Plans To Do With the $36 Million They Raised [Racked]
· Pre-Tail Start-Up Moda Operandi Is Sponsoring the Next Met Ball [Racked]