Buying clothes without seeing or touching them can be challenging. In order not to fail and to have a satisfactory experience, some owners of local brands give their recommendations.
That feeling of receiving the long-awaited package, which contains the self-gift that you think you deserve so much, but when you try on the garment you end up seeing the Hulk in front of the mirror: the shirt that cannot be closed, barely crossing between your mass let’s say muscular, the pants transformed into leggings or, worse still, that does not rise above the knees. Or the other way around, and the shirt you bought, instead of adjusting to your measurements, seems to be an invitation for four people to camp under your nose.
Buying clothes online can seem like a nightmare for those who have been forced to resort to this format, given the health restrictions imposed by the authorities. Especially when trying on, seeing and touching the garments is an impossibility. However, it is important to consider that there are ways to reduce errors and also to solve them. Because it is not a black market that disappears the moment you enter your internet banking password.
On the contrary, e-commerce is regulated and many the online store have years of experience operating and attracting new customers personalization seems to be one of the key points, also achieving growth that, during 2022, was reached according to the media the adjectives “boom” and “explosive”.
A report from the Santiago Chamber of Commerce (CCS) shows that online sales registered an increase of 55% during the past year, reaching a peak of 119% in April when the first quarantines were experienced. Quite the opposite of what happened with face-to-face retail, whose transactions fell by 20%.
“People continue to buy clothes because they like to look good for themselves, it doesn’t matter if they are going to be locked up,” says Tatiana Campos, founder of Palosanto, regarding the increase in purchases despite the confinement.
Thus, social networks and websites have been installed as the new showcases that can be accessed, without even getting out of bed. And they offer brands like MO-Store, which was born in 1997 as a physical store in the Drugstore, to expand their reach and market without geographical limits.
“They buy us a lot from regions and from abroad,” says Magdalena Olazábal, creator of this brand of authorial designs for men and women, which appeals to comfort, functionality, and timelessness, and which has had a web store since 2008.
We consulted Bordalí, Campos, and Olazábal about some considerations to take into account when buying clothes online, so that upon receiving that long-awaited purchase, self-satisfaction is full and guilt for spending is as little as possible. Joining the recommendations are Matías Letelier, owner of the Below — evaless clothing store, created in 2015, with a style linked to the imaginary skate— and Constanza Moreno, the designer behind the local footwear brand Obras de Mano. She here her advice.
know your body
“It’s important to know your body, to know which hair looks best on you,” says Tatiana Campos. The key is to always have a tape measure at home, which can be used to buy clothes online. In this way, you can measure the back, hips or chest, waist, and hips (high and low). And she adds: “You should never measure yourself by what you wear, you always have to do it in underwear, that’s the first string.”
The picture works, but do not be deceived.
Matías Letelier, from Abajo, says that people often ask about the greatness of the person in the picture. Helpful? “Yeah, especially pointing, like knowing how big the mode is,” he says. One thing that, in the case of Ovando, they often emphasize is the length of the people who appear on the web imitating their pants.
However, Mo-Store’s Olazabal warns against making the mistake of “hoping that what looks good in a picture will look the same on you.” For example, he says: “If you have fat legs or muscles, it is normal. A person with thin legs can buy enough and fit well. ”
Something similar happens in t-shirts and t-shirts. “A person who wants to be comfortable, to sit and relax, cannot afford a slim fit,” says the manufacturer.
Understand what type is being purchased
Olazábal emphasizes that if you are going to buy outerwear, it is important to pay close attention to its source. “When it comes to Asian clothing, the size is usually small. Instead, America is much larger. They reach twice the XL”, he warns. It leads to the following advice:
Don’t risk too much: buy local
The owner and developer of the MO-Store assure that the most important thing is to “choose local brakes, the design based on the morphology of national bodies”. There is this additional explanation, less important, that if you buy abroad, there is a risk of not receiving feedback if you are not satisfied with the product.