Skipping Malls For In-Home Wardrobe Shopping

The Laguna Beach Independent:

Shopping for clothes online may save time and gasoline, but deprives buyers of the opportunity to try garments or get assistance. But since assistance isn’t even a guarantee at department stores or designer boutiques, some shoppers are turning to another option, the in-home shopping experience, which can combine the best of both.

Two Laguna women, Tina Tiezzi and Debbie Hild, have teamed up to offer their friends and neighbors such an opportunity as representatives of New York-based Casuals Etcetera, Inc., a women’s wear designer that hires consultants to sell the line from their homes. The consultants earn a commission based on a percentage of sales. It’s a highend clothing version of Tupperware or Avon.

Direct apparel sales seems to be flourishing at all price points along the spectrum. The Worth and Carlisle collections, for instance, offer luxury designs with prices to match, while companies like Modbe sell everyday clothing at discount prices. Doncaster, a North Carolina clothing maker on par with Etcetera, boasts quality fabrics and designs at a price point a notch beneath luxury levels.

“Direct to market sales are growing at triple the rate of online fashion sales. It’s now a billion-dollar business,” according to Marshal Cohen, chief fashion industry analyst for the NDP Group, a New York-based market research company.

Begun in 2001, Etcetera is a beneficiary of the trend. They now have hundreds of reps in 633 towns and cities in 45 states, and are actively expanding.