The backbone of remaining a disruptive business is to ignore ego and experiment constantly, a panel including Orchard Mile, La Ligne and Universal Design told World Retail Congress delegates in Amsterdam yesterday afternoon.

Jennie Baik, co-founder and CEO, Orchard Mile, said that the future of retail includes working together rather than against each other and said of her platform: “The question is whether you can create collaboration and therefore be able to focus on what you are good at; creating great products. For us it's about celebrating hyper-localisation and what makes places what they are.”

Mollie Howard, co-founder and CEO, La Ligne, stressed that retaining a disruptive mindset involves much more than just technology. “Holding on to some traditonal marketing is important too, because people can easily relate to it, and compare it with new platforms,” she said. “Physical retail is also in our future, we opened our first store in New York a week ago.”

Alexandra Waldman, co-founder and chief creative officer, Universal Standard, added that there is a “new normal” in terms of doing business, saying of trying to work out the future, that “we are all looking around corners”.

She said: “If you don't change then you get left behind. In fashion we need to broaden the idea of what's beautiful, to me that deserved some inspection. All women deserve to be respected and to be considered. Doing the right thing can be really successful.”

“We place the customer at the centre, so different demographics will wear our clothing,” she said; adding that the company is about to launch its rangess from 00 to 40 sizes. “The future of fashion is about us being who we are. We are trying to change the way fashion sees women and women see fashion.”