Fashion firms dither over instant shopping on the catwalk

Paris

FASHION labels may be falling over themselves to court young, smartphone-wielding shoppers, but there's one millennial-inspired trend that is only catching on slowly: catwalk shows where clothes are available to buy instantly rather than months later.

The timing of product drops is becoming an experimental battlefield for luxury goods companies juggling a constant demand for novelty and the lengthy manufacturing cycles needed to make sumptuous fabrics or hand-stitched handbags.