Seasoned fashion alumnae Norma Kamali is no stranger to envelope-pushing, in either design or marketing. The fashion designer, who surfaced on the scene in the late 60s and introduced her heralded eponymous collection, OMO Norma Kamali, a decade later, is still forging new territory today. “Kamali just launched a marketing and retail strategy that incorporates social networking sites and other Web innovations into her business. She is using Skype technology, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and, soon, Hulu to enhance the brand experience,” says Women’s Wear Daily. This venture comes as a follow-up to Kamali’s “Try Before You Buy” plan, which for the past few years has allowed customers to purchase clothing from normakamalicollection.com without paying for it on the spot. Instead, customers could keep the clothing for 48 hours before being charged (their credit card info having been obtained but not yet used), or, were they unsatisfied with the clothes in question, return the garments at no cost.

The aforementioned cutting-edge technologies are being used in a variety of ways at Kamali headquarters. Skype, for instance, allows customers to call in at no extra cost and get help with sizing and fit. Kamali is also introducing ‘"Try Before You Buy" party kits which allow a "party host" and prospective consumers to check out a variety of garments all at once. And there’s even a kickback for such hosts. “Should the hosts exceed $10,000 in sales, their status becomes comparable with that of a retailer, and they earn themselves the 50 percent markup. Below that, the hosts can accrue free clothes based on the amount sold, or pass a 25 percent discount along to the attendees.” In addition, Kamali has a Twitter account, a Facebook page, a You Tube channel, and a newly inked deal with Hulu “to provide video content under the site’s Food and Leisure channel.” In other words, welcome to Fashion 2.0.