Now that e-commerce is becoming more accessible to small businesses, emerging fashion designers increasingly rely on the Internet to drive sales and improve market exposure.

Once seen as an expensive venture, new merchant and shopping cart solutions from sources such as PayPal and Yahoo! have made it much easier for independents to establish small online boutiques to sell designs direct to the public. It used to be that designers depended on time-consuming retail and wholesale shows, which often come with a hefty price tag, or local boutiques to sell their merchandise.