An estimated 170 plus designers as well as 5,000 buyers, journalists and bloggers were in attendance at London Fashion Week earlier this week.

The event, which saw work exhibited by established as well as emerging talent, generates over 100 million pounds in orders each season.

The focus this season was, in keeping with 2013, on digital innovation, and how to use such developments to boost growth in the British fashion industry. 

Natalie Massenet, British Fashion Council chairman, highlighted the fact that, since the inception of the digital focus, the number of designers with ecommerce sites has risen from 33 to 43 percent.

One particularly interesting development this year is Topshop’s work with Facebook and Instagram to democratise the fashion show by sharing ideas with their followers before they appear on the catwalk, an idea they’re dubbing the “social catwalk”.

A few months ago I wrote about how Singapore-based company Lift12 is using analytics to help guide creative decisions. Topshop’s sharing idea essentially follows this trend, helping new voices gain a platform in the fashion industry.

In my view, this change, which sees customers have some input into creative decisions, is one of the most exciting upshots of the marriage between digital technology and fashion. 

But connecting with audiences in this way is not simply about engaging; social media ushers in a vast potential for new ecommerce tactics.

Some, of course, will claim that fashion and luxury brands are not compatible with the accessibility created by technology; however, digital technologies offer many new ways for luxury retail to keep its personal touch.

For example, Jimmy Choo, using technology similar to Google’s Street view, has created a luxury virtual showroom, allowing shoppers to tour its range before buying online.

As this example shows, simply giving access to more people will not damage a luxury brand: luxury is about quality, style and innovation, not availability.