On Monday, amidst the ever-manic London Fashion week, we held our our latest Future of Retail Forum at Somerset House. As part of the British Council's series of independent business seminars, the event saw some of the leading innovators making breakthroughs in retail today discussing what the future holds for the retail industry. From the impact of online to the radical rethinking of what a physical retail space can be, it's no exaggeration to say that there's some very exciting changes on the horizon.

Topics ranged from the importance of collaboration between brands and artists to the potential of store customisation both for online marketplaces that recognise and records data surrounding your tastes, to store-integrated smart technology that bring digital capabilities into the physical realm.

Speakers on the day included Hilary Peterson, Head of Brand Development at Lyst – an online shopping service that's transforming how people browse for products and how retailers connect with customers, Christophe Brumby, Head of Marketing at oki-ni, a leading luxury menswear online store who were amongst the first to experiment with shoppable videos, hosting progressive designers in a digital space that is rich, inspiring and innovative, and finally Tom Adeyoola, Founder and CEO of Metail: a potentially revolutionary start-up that's aiming to take all the uncertainty out of shopping for clothes online with smart 3D body-measuring technology.