The Business of Fashion

CEO Talk | Susan Lyne, Chief Executive Officer, Gilt Groupe

Even before Susan Lyne left her high-profile CEO post at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) earlier this year, the media world speculated wildly about where she might go next. Would she take a senior role at media giant Time Inc? Or would she end up in Hollywood, where she could bring to bear some of her experience from ABC, the American television network,whose fortunes she was credited with reviving on the strength of shows like Lost and Desperate Housewives?

It turned out that neither was true. In a surprise move, she accepted an offer to become the CEO of Gilt Groupe, an innovative start-up online fashion retailer that was featured on the Business of Fashion shortly after its inception late last year.

In our latest CEO Talk, I checked in with Susan to learn about the incredible progress of Gilt Groupe since then, which has seen the online start-up secure a $5m funding round from Matrix Partners, build a team of more than 100 employees from some of the best fashion brands and retailers, and most impressively, attract a passionate membership base that now numbers almost half a million users.

CEO Talk | Camilla Skovgaard, Shoe designer and entrepreneur

Camilla Skovgaard is one of those rare aberrations of the current economic malaise.

While almost all other designers I have spoken to are nervously reporting order cancellations and declining or flat sales, Skovgaard's shoes have chalked up triple-digit increases for Spring/Summer 2009.

Of course, part of this growth can be explained by the rapid growth of the luxury shoe category -- it's a case of  'the rising tide raises all boats. ' And, according to a recent report by Bain & Company, shoes will continue to be the fastest growing luxury segment of all; more than handbags, apparel, watches, jewelry and fragrances.

However, Camilla's enviable success can mostly be attributed to perseverance, an incredible work-ethic, great design and pragmatism about merchandising and pricing her collection for the downturn. In our second CEO Talk, we caught up with Camilla to learn the secrets of her success.

CEO Talk | Natalie Massenet, Chairman and Founder of Net-a-Porter

When Natalie Massenet talks, people listen. It wasn't always that way. When Massenet first proposed the idea of selling luxury products online in 1999, she faced more than a few doubters. Nobody doubts her now.

Frequently described as one of the most influential women in the fashion business, as Chairman and Founder of NET-A-PORTER, Massenet has built the pre-eminent online luxury destination, incorporating a clever commerce-meets-content approach that is squarely targeted at a woman that she always seems to have on her mind. It is this laser focus that has kept NET-A-PORTER at the top of its game, becoming the benchmark for luxury ecommerce retailers around the world.

In the first in a series of CEO Talks to understand how fashion entrepreneurs and business leaders are combating the economic downturn, we sat down with Natalie to get her views on the prospects for online luxury.