
By Invitation Only
Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson
I read this book because we all fall for hype.
And most of us continue to do so. I feel I’ve hardened to hype, on account of having worked in digital roles for longer than most Millennials have been on this planet. I don’t sucker easily, instead falling hard for people who have fought battles in traditional business which gives them license to preach about the basics and how they apply to our web world.
Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson neatly fit that learned mould, having exuded both from Harvard Business School and a quiet confidence that took them and their Gilt Groupe to internet fashion icons in four years while the rest of the world was ducking for cover.
Gilt Groupe was formed in 2007. Using influencer marketing before anyone else knew what that meant, and capitalising on our FOMO tendencies before the acronym was formed, they created a community of affluent styleseeking ingenues who quickly became coveted starlets of their own scenes by enjoying the highest of fashions at the lowest of prices.
Struck gold at sample sales. Sales obsessives, the A-pair found Narnia in a bargain bin and realised these cut-price deals were both little-known and highly-prized. They deserved wider exposure. And so Gilte Groupe was set in motion.
It’s rare in this day and age to find such a glamorous story that doesn’t involve the Ubers and Instagrams of the internet.
This book isn’t brand new. Finally at a point of reviewing it I expected the worst. I thought there would be a sting in the tale. But instead, there’s a song in the sale. Gilt continues its growth and while you and I might not be fully aware of its charms, its inner circle of buyers have nothing but praise for how the As have continued to evolve the model and get ever-closer using big data to understanding what their customers want.
Alexis and Alexandra may be a long way from the bargain bins where their passions collided with business opportunity. But they still know how to sniff out a deal which makes them their customers’ very best friends.
By Invitation Only is a work worth treasuring. If you’re into the idea of bringing your own riches home, it’s definitely a VIP ticket to the kind of intelligence and insight usually afforded by expensive consultation sessions with the Reid Hoffmans of this world.
Pass the pashmina, darling. This is absolutely fabulous.

