This morning, over 150 retail industry leaders attended the third Talking Shop Retailer Engagement Series workshop titled, ‘Australian Fashion Innovators’.

The event, held by AMP Capital Shopping Centres (AMPCSC) and the Australian Fashion Chamber (AFC), offered attendees knowledge and insights into the Australian retail market through the eyes of some of the country’s greatest fashion names.

The event, hosted by Vogue Australia editor-in-chief and AFC chairperson Edwina McCann, saw speakers such as Pip Edwards, design director at General Pants and co-founder of P.E NATION and Rebecca Vallance, founder & creative director at Rebecca Vallance, discuss their experiences creating and managing leading fashion brands, while Danny Lattouf, director at Popai ANZ and managing director of Idea Works Sydney, discussed insights from his presentation ‘Innovations that will Revolutionise Retail’.

The group collectively agreed that it is vital for Australian fashion retailers to find a balance between creativity in design and solid business management, while remaining innovative and using technology to engage their audiences both in-store and online.

Pip Edwards said of the event, “Having recently launched a new fashion brand into the market with P.E NATION, I know how important innovation is to not only stay relevant in today’s market, but to bring a unique advantage into a competitive retail environment.

“It’s been a great opportunity for each of us to share our opinions on the role innovation plays in fashion retail and I’m delighted to be able to work with the AFC and AMPCSC to pass my knowledge on to other Australian retailers.”

AMP Capital Shopping Centres head of shopping centre marketing, Belinda Daly, said that the successful Talking Shop event series is an opportunity for retail leaders and influencers to share their secrets to success with their industry peers.

“AMPCSC prides itself on a never ending mission to continually innovate every aspect of the retail experience in our centres through its retail development pipeline that supports retailers quest for innovation, many of which have joined our retail mix at Macquarie Centre and Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast, due for completion this year which will be a truly exceptional retail experience.

“Today we heard that while the next several years will see some major technological innovations that will change the way consumers shop, the desire for human experiences will not be lost. This is where our retailers can use their expertise in customer service to create shopping experiences that will carry them well into the future.”

AFC general manager, Courtney Miller said, “Australian designers have enjoyed so much success locally and globally through their focus on continual innovation and pushing the boundaries of both fashion and the retail experience. I would say innovation is something that is now intrinsically linked to Australian fashion and admired around the world.”

Danny Lattouf predicted that the ten predicted inventions that will revolutionise retail include:

• Holostores and augmented retail
• Shop anywhere, serve anywhere
• Smart vending
• Sentient stores
• Intelligent shelves
• On demand merchandise
• Off the grid retail
• NFC and wearable payables
• Vibrant data
• Artificial intelligence