Dior begins first e-commerce endeavor

New York - Dior, one of the most iconic luxury labels in the world, was eventually going to have to bow to the e-commerce trend despite their continued resistance. Of course, Dior isn't the "go big or go home" type of brand. This is the brand who prior to last month had Raf Simons, a man originally more known for minimalism, as their creative director.

Instead of doing a brand wide plunge into e-commerce, Dior is starting small by doing a holiday shoe pop-up shop with famous New York luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman.

“There is no e-commerce site in North America for Dior,” Pamela Baxter, president and chief executive officer of perfumes and cosmetics Americas at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, president of Christian Dior Couture, said to WWD “The whole purpose and goal of this was to really leverage our partnership with Bergdorf and push the client base that they have that we don’t have. It’s a really a win-win for everyone.”

The sale went live on BG.com today, and will extend through December 31 with a selection of 14 shoe styles from the 2016 cruise collection. A few of the key items include the Dior Fusion sneaker, the Dior Verso, and the Dior Flore heels and flats. Price points for the collection range anywhere between 830 dollars for the flats and 1140 dollars for the sneakers.

Dior launches online pop-up shop with Bergdorf Goodman

In an age of social media, Bergdorf Goodman was going to have to enlist the A-list social media crowd to help with Dior's first e-commerce endeavor. Eva Chen of Instagram, Shiona Turini of New York Magazine's The Cut, and Leandra Medine of fashion blog Man Repeller have all been spreading the word to their fans through Instagram.

The deal for Dior to do an e-commerce venture with Bergdorf Goodman began two years ago. Joshua Schulman, president of Bergdorf Goodman, proposed the idea to Dior two years. The luxury department store does pop-up shops from time to time for certain luxury brands, and they figured it was Dior's turn. Given how successful Bergdorf Goodman does with shoe pop-ups, they figured Dior doing shoes made the most logical sense.

Dior has long resisted entering e-commerce because they believe the relationship between their client and the sales associate is the most important thing for a luxury brand. "We’re a very high-end luxury brand, our price points are very high and that relationship experience is our top strategic priority," Baxter told WWD.

Currently, Dior has no plans to initiate any e-commerce efforts of their own. They stand just a peg below Celine who still refuses to even consider e-commerce as an option. However, Dior is hoping to use their experience with Bergdorf Goodman as research for how their own e-commerce efforts could eventually work.

The brand has consistently proven to be one of Bergdorf's best brands for business in terms of slae, so this pop-up shop essentially seems like a guaranteed success. A representative for Bergdorf Goodman was not immediately available for comment regarding Dior's sales figures for the store. Those fans of Bergdorf Goodman around America can finally get their hands on those Dior boots without having to make a special trip to NYC.

photo: BG.com