Fashion weeks around the world have long been considered more of a media spectacle than an actual trade showcase, where fashion editors, buyers and now, bloggers gather to see and be seen.

So what is the relevance of these glitzy events beyond an insular cadre of insiders, and couture-wearing billionaires' wives?

For the average shopper without a front row seat, it may take the form of services allowing consumers to pre-order looks seen on the runway, right after viewing a show online.

This year, Singapore's annual style event, the Audi Fashion Festival (AFF), will see the launch of a new digital portal called Future Fashion Now (FFN).

The site will stream runway shows live, provide viewers the option of picking looks from certain collections, and have them custom-produced for delivery before the next season arrives in stores.

While FFN is the first of its kind in the region, other international services have already embraced the power of direct sales.

Online retailer Moda Operandi has been screening trunk shows on its site and selling designer clothing right off the runways of the top fashion capitals since its launch last year.

In its second round of financing last June, it raised US$10 million (S$12.6 million).

Luxury British fashion house Burberry - known for its aggressive social media and digital presence - has also created an iPad app which allows consumers to browse and pre-order a collection online.

And as far back as February 2008, as Halston was being relaunched under new management, the company struck a deal with luxury online retailer Net-a-Porter to sell two dresses the day after its debut runway show.

'Trunk shows have been an age-old practice during which selected customers were invited to view the collection and place their orders before it was unveiled to the general public,' notes Brenda Tham, fashion director and owner of Hong Kong-based fashion collective The Firm.

'Putting up a collection online is just an evolution of the concept for the digital generation.'

However, while the 'pre-tail' likes of Moda Operandi are showcasing sought-after brands like Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler, would FFN attract sales from consumers who are not familiar with its relatively under-the-radar labels?

Especially when services like Moda Operandi require shoppers to place a deposit upon confirmation of order. The downpayments will then go towards the production of the collections.

This season, the homegrown site takes off with eight labels: Jonathan Simkhai from New York, Yeojin Bae from Melbourne and Esther Perbandt from Berlin, which were previously not sold in stores here; and Timo Weiland from New York, Suecomma Bonnie from Korea, and Alldressedup, Max Tan and Mae Pang from Singapore.

Although Timo Weiland has been making waves among fashion folk and is stocked by Barneys New York, it remains to be seen if FFN's stable of emerging brands will have non-insiders rushing to buy.

Still, FFN might fuel the appetites of off-the-runway shoppers whose favourite catwalk pieces weren't put into production because of increasingly risk-averse store buyers.

Buyers currently select looks from designers' full, unedited collections at fashion weeks and trade shows for the local markets.

Hence, consumers' options are limited by the selections made by store buyers, which often weed out more unique designs that may have less mass appeal.

With FFN, fashion devotees could pick any design they want, which will be delivered two to four months later, before the looks hit stores - if they do at all.

They also have exclusive access to labels that previously weren't available in stores here.

For Yumiko Uno, a Singapore-based designer of organic cotton fashion line Etrican, the concept helps reduce wastage and serves as a guideline for designers to shape their collections.

'Trends are fast these days because of the wide variety of choices we have, and it is difficult for brands to determine which designs from a collection will sell,' says Uno.

'By mass-producing styles, you could end up with potential stock management problems. I would rather focus on pieces that are in demand in order to clear stock efficiently and move onto the next collection.'

On the other hand, newly-launched labels hoping to gain international exposure may be put off by the limited reach provided by such an online service.

'As someone who has experienced the pressures of establishing my own label, it is a challenge to embark on new initiatives like FFN because we have limited financial means and practically zero marketing budget,' says Kenny Lohwey, designer of bespoke denim label Ober.Blunck.

'Paying for a spot in trade shows, rather than an online platform, remains a priority to reach out to buyers in the hopes of getting picked up by big retailers like Macy's.'

As Tjin Lee, managing director of Future Fashion Now, admits: 'The designers that we have selected for the launch of FFN are not start-up brands, but largely successful, exciting labels from their own markets.

Their positioning is similar to Singapore label Alldressedup, which is already producing collections for its international buyers, and FFN will simply add another layer of revenue and customers to support the label's growth.'

One problem with focusing on independent, less-established brands is that AFF show attendees may feel shortchanged when they discover that not all runway looks from the festival are available for pre-order.

Thierry Mugler and Roland Mouret, for example, are the headliner shows at this year's festival. Only a fraction of the brands' full ranges are available at multi-label boutiques here like Pois and Tribeca, and yet the collections will not be available for sale on the FFN site.

When asked why the upper-echelon labels will not be represented on the portal, Ms Lee explained that, for now, FFN is focused on helping lesser-known designers access markets in Asia and Australia.

She adds: 'I think of FFN as a cool W Hotel - representing what's new; whereas the top designers that show at AFF are more similar to, say, St Regis.

So adding in designers such as Thierry Mugler and Roland Mouret may actually confuse the positioning.'

As the initiative becomes more established, Ms Lee also plans to source and include 'premium Asian brands' into the mix.

And why not? Ultimately, real-time shopping portals are conceived to lure the eager consumer, won over by the glamorous spectacles that are fashion shows.

A dramatic, crowd-pleasing runway presentation creates a narrative for a new collection - and being able to shop the runways allows consumers to buy into this fantasy.

On the other hand, not all shoppers are completely enticed by such a mode of retail therapy.

'In an era where instant gratification reigns and everyone is connected by real-time communication through the web, there is a need to slow down,' says Ms Tham.

'We need to recapture the sense of space, appreciate the beauty of craftsmanship, feel the human touch, and smell the roses again.'

Clicking for instant chic, it seems, dilutes the very premise of high fashion - luxury pieces painstakingly crafted to be admired in the flesh, by a discerning connoisseur.

Now tell that to the lucky girl who scored Alexander Wang's divine fringed jacket from his Fall/Winter 2012 collection, days after it was unveiled on the runway.

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This article was first published in The Business Times.