US Designers aim for even faster fashion

US designers are adopting the "see-now, buy-now" trend during New York fashion week that allows consumers to buy designs straight from the catwalk.

 Tom Ford and Tommy Hilfiger are among those that have followed British fashion house Burberry in making new styles available to buy immediately.

Fashion labels usually show their designs for next year's spring/summer season in September.

Most shows are now live-streamed and featured on social media.

Not having to wait for glossy fashion magazines to feature the latest designs has helped to make consumers less happy to wait months before they can buy them.

Half the tickets for Tommy Hilfiger's show have also been given to fans, opening up previously exclusive events to members of the public. 

Earlier this year Burberry said it would merge its four annual shows - two for women and two for men - into just two.

The collections had been divided into spring/summer and autumn/winter but now they will be known as February and September shows.

Burberry was the first company to livestream its shows and it also makes extensive use of platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram.

Luxury brands have been suffering as Chinese consumers cut back on spending, the strength of the US dollar and terrorist attacks deterring tourists from visiting fashion capitals such as Paris.

They are also responding to changing shopping habits from younger consumers who have grown up buying and sharing content online - particularly on smartphones. 

Fashion commentators say designers are also having to wake up to the successful 'fast fashion' business models pioneered by the likes of Zara and H&M.

Consumers are being influenced by what celebrities wear, street fashion, and pop culture, which feeds into their shopping habits.

New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman has commented: "Sartorial spaghetti is being thrown at the wall to see what sticks, but something will, and then the whole sparkly, chiffon-clad edifice could tip."