Yoox Net-a-Porter CEO: One day we will see a ‘made by humans’ label

Amsterdam – “I’d like to make a prediction,” said Yoox Net-a-Porter CEO
Federico Marchetti on Tuesday at the World Retail Congress.
“Today we see labels like ‘British made’ or ‘Swiss watches.’ I think that
one day we will see another label: ‘made by humans’”. According to
Marchetti, despite continual advancements in technology, the human
touch will remain important to customers in the fashion
industry.

Marchetti predicts that in the future people will likely be
happy to pay more to know a garment has been made by a human –
especially in the luxury sector. “I believe the success of luxury
depends on striking the right balance between human and machine,”
he said.

Since launching Yoox 20 years ago, Marchetti has pioneered
online luxury and has made a name for himself as a disrupter
within the fashion industry – a reputation he continues to uphold.
In November, Yoox launched its while in December, it introduced a new designed to help customers explore the Yoox catalogue with a 3D avatar.

So what’s next? Yoox Net-a-Porter is now launching direct
shopping via Instagram on its platforms, Marchetti announced
at World Retail Congress, and its future website will be completely
personalized: each of its more than three million customers
will one day see their own website with information, events,
weather forecasts and calendars tailored to their needs.

’Nurturing human talent is a choice’

Despite the brand’s ongoing innovations, however – all of which are
made possible with the help of technology – the human attention
to detail in fashion is something that must be preserved, Marchetti said.
“We have to make a choice to make a balance between human and machine, and
this choice will only get harder as technology advances.” He concluded:
“Luxury cannot be exclusively AI-created, drone delivered or 3D-printed.
Nurturing human talent is a choice we all can make.”

World Retail Congress 2019 takes place in Amsterdam between 14-16 May
and brings together some 1,400 attendees from 55 countries. Keep
an eye on further coverage of the event from FashionUnited.