After only a season trialling the see-now-buy-now method of selling straight from the runway, Tom Ford has decided to cut his losses and move on. The designer confirmed that making his entire AW16 collection available immediately after his show last September ultimately lost him sales, stating that the “store shipping schedule doesn’t align with the fashion show schedule.”

The fast-fashion approach came to the world’s attention last year – Burberry announced its intentions first, with Ford, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ralph Lauren following suit. 

While the see-now-buy-now method is aimed to speed up time between the runway and in-store availability, Ford fell victim to shipping complications. Having to put the AW16 collection on hold before it hit stores meant he lost a month of selling and, in turn, led the company to lose vital press attention – quite the opposite of what the strategy promises customers and brands alike. 

Of course, it works for some – at Moschino, Jeremy Scott has sold a capsule range from the new collection straight off the runway since his first show.

In other news, the American designer has also suggested he is looking to return to NYFW – Ford has enjoyed a reign of shows at LFW since 2013. He was quoted saying “I like going first, when everyone is still in a good mood”, light-heartedly referring to NYFW being the first week on the calendar in the gruelling bi-annual fashion month.