Rakuten partners with NYFW: The Shows on ‘Wear the Runway’ event

Global shopping platform Rakuten is set to partner with a number of designers participating in the upcoming New York Fashion Week (NYFW): The Shows, with its first-ever ‘Wear the Runway’ event.

The concept, which aims to make runway collections more accessible to a broader audience, will see designers and Rakuten retail partners 3.1 Phillip Lim, Altuzarra and Rebecca Minkoff each host an exclusive pre-sale for a “hero” piece from their latest line ahead of its entry into stores.

These items will be revealed following the debut of their collections, and can be shopped on Rakuten’s platform until September 25. Meanwhile, the designers’ current collections can be purchased from September 7 to 13.

Alongside this, Project Runway host Elaine Welteroth will also be partnering with Rakuten as a style consultant, offering up ‘Trend Reports’, which include pieces available to shop on the retail platform, to be released over the course of the fashion week.

In a release, Vicki Wagner McRae, SVP of brand, creative and communications at Rakuten, said: "Our recent research shows that almost one third of women say that their shopping decisions are influenced by runway fashion at NYFW.

"We also know that today's consumer is more cost conscious than ever when they shop. This informed our primary goal: open up designer fashion to be even more accessible for a broader audience of shoppers, many of whom are already following runway trends.”