This Is How A Fashion Boss Gets Things Done

Britt Aboutaleb

Viviana Volpicella hits the road in a Vita Kin dress during the Spring 2016 Men’s collections in Milan. Photo: Adam Katz Sinding

The phrase “fashion can wait for no one” might sound cliche, but for Net-a-porter’s Vice President of Global Buying, Sarah Rutson, it’s the cold hard truth.

On Thursday, Ruston presented her spring trend report to a room full of fashion editors. A short summary: Alessandro Michele at Gucci is driving fashion’s newfound penchant for maximalism, but if peak embellishment isn’t your thing, there’s also romance, ‘90s attitude, and a general louche-ness to spring’s best looks. Early next year, the digital shelves of the newly acquired e-commerce site will be stocked with ruffles, silver jewelry, top handle bags, slip-on flats, and Beyonce’s Topshop collection (!!).

But there was one nugget that stood out as the height of customer service. “Everyone knows about Vita Kin,” Rutson said of the billowing, embroidered, traditional Ukranian dress that became the must-have—but impossible to get—item of the summer. “You saw [the vyshyvanka] on Leandra Medine. In fact, I think she probably bought the whole stock.” Rutson said they placed back to back orders, both of which sold out in less than eleven minutes. When she asked for more, the brand said they’d need 7 to 8 months to fulfill their request.

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March 11th’s take on the Ukranian vyshyvanka.

“That doesn’t work for me,” Rutson said. And so, like any good salesperson, she found another way to give her customers what they want. “After all, they don’t own the traiditional Ukranian dress, so I went to Instagram and #ukranianembroidery. I scrolled and scrolled and found March 11. It’ll be here in two weeks.”

Even the most discerning fashion eye will have trouble telling the two apart. Rutson says each dress still takes 14 days to make, but they are able to deliver more than Vita Kin, and faster, and that’s what’s earned them the support of the world’s biggest luxury goods site. Rutson says, “I need to give the customer what she wants.” Done.