Amazon partners with clothing label for “see-now, buy-now” program

Amazon is partnering with Nicopanda on a “see-now, buy-now.”Amazon

• Amazon is collaborating with fashion label Nicopanda on a new “see-now, buy-now” initiative for London Fashion Week.
• It will allow show attendees — and viewers anywhere — to immediately buy the designs seen on the runway.
• The designs, which are being screen-printed onto T-shirts by Amazon as part of the program, were created in collaboration with queer writer and artist Hilton Dresden.
• The collaboration is an example of how Amazon is encouraging brands and creators to leverage the Merch by Amazon program to “capture moments.”

Amazon is making fast fashion even faster.

The e-commerce company announced on Friday that it is using its Merch by Amazon screen-printing business to collaborate with a fashion brand, Nicopanda.

During its London Fashion Week show on Friday, Nicopanda will debut multiple designs on T-shirts created by queer writer and artist Hilton Dresden.

Utilizing Amazon’s relatively little-known instant screen-printing business, Merch by Amazon, show attendees — and viewers anywhere — will be able to immediately buy the T-shirts seen on the runway.

“Coupling Merch by Amazon’s print-on-demand technology and Amazon smilecodes enables customers around the globe to shop fashion with a convenience and speed like they’ve never experienced,” Miguel Roque, director of Merch by Amazon, said to Business Insider.

“We’re thrilled to bring our innovative technology together with Nicopanda’s fashion ingenuity.”

There will be four designs in total, each with images of anthropomorphized animals appearing underneath lyrics from pop songs.

For customers who are actually at the show, Amazon is enabling its “smilecodes,” which are like QR codes people can scan with their Amazon app to take them directly to the online shop. Everyone else can visit Amazon’s dedicated page.

Orders will be shipped with the full force of Amazon’s e-commerce machine behind it and will be eligible for free two-day Prime shipping.

It’s the latest example of how Amazon is using its merch program to empower creators and others to instantly “capture moments,” Roque said. The “see-now, buy-now” power, combined with the fast shipping, allows for an instant gratification effect.

Another recent collaboration was with New York magazine’s The Cut, which took headlines from its website and printed them on T-shirts using Merch by Amazon.

One benefit, according to Roque, is the low startup costs involved with creators taking part in the business. Since Amazon manages everything from buying shirts, stocking them, printing them, and shipping there, there’s no overhead involved in putting a design on a T-shirt. Creators are then given a royalty for every sale.

It isn’t just small brands and artists that use Merch by Amazon, either. Disney, Marvel, Blizzard Entertainment, Cartoon Network, Universal Studios, and Epic Games have all used the program, according to its website.

Should the new Nicopanda collaboration in London takeoff, Roque said it could open the door to further collaborations down the road with creators and artists.

The “see-now, buy-now” program touches on a hot topic in retail. Fast-fashion retailers including Zara, H&M, and Forever 21 are facing increasing pressure to speed up their supply chains to compete.