The Outnet

The Company

The Outnet began in 2009 as the sister site to Net-a-porter.com, which was launched in 2000 to give superior fashion choices to women. When The Outnet began, they originally got their merchandise from Net-a-porter, but have since begun sourcing 90% of their merchandise from designers directly. These big name designers include Maje, Zimmerman, Alexander Wang, and many others.

This company was born out of the idea that designers never liked to have end of season sales, choosing instead to keep end of season deals hush-hush, as the design world was so fast-moving. The Outnet revolutionized discount shopping for top notch designers, as brands previously did not make a big deal about end of season designs, choosing instead to have a quick Flash Sale, or the like. Now, The Outnet glamorizes fashion finds from the previous year, and shoppers can find deep discounts.

The Outnet currently carries over 350 fashion design brands, often priced at up to 70% off. The dedicated buying team in London creates some unique collaborations and finds limited-edition exclusive pieces for customers around the world.

The Outnet also features the label Iris and Ink. This brand offers high fashion with a lower impact on the environment, using recycled and organic materials. Their goal is to reach 100% lower-impact, organic and recycled materials by the year 2025. By extending the life of luxury, The Outnet has an eye toward long-term sustainability and a “circular fashion”. And they take it one step further, pledging to reduce the environmental impact of the clothes that they both buy and create.

In addition to creating a clothing line that does its best to care for the environment, The Outnet also has philanthropic moments supporting female-first charities such as Women for Women International. With this emphasis on helping others, they are able to use their prestige in the world to do some good for those less fortunate.

The Store

The store itself is not a brick and mortar store, as some fashion designers have, but instead, The Outnet is an online global store with a local feel. Localization continues to be a priority, and recently the Middle East and Japan received native checkouts so that consumers in these locations would have an easier experience. The Outnet is focused on a mobile first strategy, but offers a flawless shopping experience whether on tablet, desktop, or mobile devices. With over 100 countries and 11 languages represented, the store is available 24/7, 365 days a year.

The Outnet offers a diverse range of products on their easy-to-use website. There are a variety of categories so that you can shop in a number of different ways. For instance, you can go straight to categories such as Just in, Superbrands, Designers, Clothing, Shoes, Accessories, Iris & Ink, or 70% off. This allows you to tailor your shopping experience to your needs. The Editorial section is very helpful, as it gives ideas and background information for what to wear in a variety of situations, as well as the latest news in fashion.

The Outnet also provides some perks. A few great attributes of the site is that they offer free express shipping over $300, and they also offer a first time buyer discount of 15%. If you are a student, you are really in luck, because they have a special program that offers a 15% student discount as well.

Along with discounts, The Outnet makes it easy to buy and return clothes, with tracking services and 24/7 customer care. You can even resell your designer clothes back to them with seamless concierge services. This perk allows you to have a constant flow of brand new clothing and accessories for yourself.

The Outnet makes transactions easy for consumers so that you can experience designer clothes for less money and less hassle. In the last decade, they have transformed the way that designers deal with discounts, and set consumers up for some extremely good deals on the most fashionable clothes in the world.

From The Outnet’s website: “With a focus on exceptional customer service, THE OUTNET offers a seamless shopping experience across mobile, tablet and desktop, inspiring editorial content, express worldwide shipping to over 100 countries and customer care services in 11 languages, available 24/7, 365 days a year.”