New domain name: '.clothing'

On January 29 seven new domain names will be introduced to the current domain names, the first of many

new names to be introduced this year and one of those names in particular may be of interest to those in the fashion industry, namely '.clothing'.

The expansion of the Domain Name System (DNS) is set to be one of biggest changes to happen to the Internet since its beginning and the introduction of the DNS in 2004, reported the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

"This is an historic milestone for ICANN's new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) program and the Internet as a whole," commented Christine Willett, vice president of gTLD operations. "The year ahead will be defined by new opportunities in a vastly expanding online landscape."

The addition of the new top-level domain name '.clothing' is thought to be especially interesting for apparel retailers and labels as it would allow them more freedom in linking their online and offline identities and bring in huge branding opportunities according to industry specialists.