•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

Indonesian fashionistas are now free to pick up the hottest in hand-picked items at more than 50 percent off the retail price.

That is, of course, if they are invited. FashionPrivate.com, a private online clothing shop that was launched last month, now offers free shipping to the entire archipelago, which means that people in Indonesia’s smaller cities are now only a click away from the latest trends.

Members can log on to the site by entering the e-mail address of the person who invited them, typing in an invitation code or simply signing up to join the waiting list.

“FashionPrivate is a cost-effective way for people to shop online,” said Medina Latief Harjani, the CEO of the Web site.

Medina said the invitation code at the moment was “fashion,” but that would only be valid until FashionPrivate reached one million members. As of the first week of March, the Web site had more than 50,000 registered members.

The Web site is currently offering 50 percent off on all dresses by Australian designer Kerry Grima and 40 percent off selected bags from Jimmy Choo. Today also marks the first day of a half-price sale on Betsey Johnson shoes.

Diogo Granate, the founder of FashionPrivate, said the private Web site was a good way for high-end brands to sell items from last season at cheaper prices.

“If you’re a high-end brand like, let’s say, Chanel, you can’t put up sale signs in your store,” Diogo said, because that could potentially hurt the brand’s reputation.

However, he said, through a private Web site sale, brand names can rely on members of the online community to buy items from last season.

“This private sale method was started in France five years ago,” he said. “Today, it’s a common way to shop around Europe.”

Every week, there are a handful of popular brands on sale on FashionPrivate. Each sale lasts approximately a week, with discounts of up to 70 percent off original retail prices. The Web site team e-mails and tweets about the upcoming sales.

“Stock is available in a limited number, so it’s a first-come, first-serve method that applies,” Medina said.

She said that her team only worked with authorized sellers.

“All products are brand-new and authentic,” she said.

Medina said the steep discounts were possible because most of the items were from last season.

“Distributors need to get rid of the old collections because new collections will always keep coming in, and in fashion, collections change fast,” Medina said, again stressing that none of the items on sale had been pre-owned.

The site frequently offers attractive deals. For example, a Jimmy Choo clutch that originally retailed for Rp 12 million ($1,300) is selling on FashionPrivate for Rp 10.5 million. And a dress by Kerry Grima that retailed for Rp 1.9 million is available on the Web site for Rp 855,000. A half-off sale on Rock & Republic and True Religion jeans for both men and women is scheduled to start soon.

Medina said the site’s sales usually started at noon, in the hope of catching people taking a lunch break at their computers. When you shop items can remain in your cart for 10 minutes and you have 24 hours to transfer the funds to complete the transaction.

FashionPrivate accepts bank transfers from BCA and Mandiri, Mastercard and Visa.

For every friend you invite to join the site, Rp 50,000 is credited to your account after your friends’ first purchase. The referral credits expire after one year.

FashionPrivate also accepts returns, but gives store credits instead of cash refunds. Accessories, grooming products, scents, home decor items, bags, socks, jewelry, leather goods, swimwear, underwear, sunglasses, vintage items, wallets and watches cannot be returned.

Medina said online shops offered dual benefits.

“Designers recognize the cost savings associated with holding an online private sale as opposed to holding a physical sale, which involves hiring a warehouse, staff and stock transportation,” she said.

Both Medina and Diogo said that Indonesia was poised to take online shopping to another level.

“Except for people who live in big cities, it’s still pretty hard for them to be able to shop conveniently,” Medina said. “Plus, we don’t charge anything for the shipping.”