10 Fashion Start-Ups That Will Change the Way You Shop
1/10<a href="http://www.99dresses.com" target="_blank">99dresses</a>
On a budget and suffering from style fatigue? 99dresses lets you swap unwanted clothes, shoes, and accessories using virtual currency (in other words, free clothes!). Each item is allotted a specific amount of "buttons" based on its original retail price. Upload photos of unwanted items, "sell" them to other girls to earn buttons, and then spend your buttons on clothes in 99Dresses' Infinite Closet. Essentially, you can score new digs without spending a cent.
2/10<a href="http://ofakind.com/" target="_blank">Of A Kind</a>
By offering small quantities of very special items, Of a Kind bestows shoppers with exclusive bragging rights in addition to awesome goods. Further, the website has an intriguing storytelling element: it shares behind-the-scenes footage of the making of each item and the stories of on-the-rise designers. A listing for LAYERxLayer backpacks (hurry, only 20 available!) includes the biographies of the New York-based designer couple, a photo diary of the designers using the backpack on a day trip to Connecticut, and a recipe for their delicious banana bread. It's all about the details.
3/10<a href="https://www.zoorafashion.com" target="_blank">Zoora</a>
Custom-made garments are a luxury, but Zoora is now delivering personalized fashion to the masses. First, you shop for designers clothing based on your body type, personal style, and occasion needs. Then, you can customize an item by making alterations (such as changing the color, hemline, or neckline) or ordering it made-to-measure so that it fits perfectly. When asked, "who makes that fantastic dress?" you can proudly answer, "me!"
4/10<a href="http://www.threadflip.com" target="_blank">Threadflip</a>
Threadflip is a social marketplace for buying and selling both new and pre-loved clothing. Flip through the site’s clear images of edited products (imagine if Instagram turned into a retail site) and shop everything from vintage Vuitton to new Diane von Furstenberg. Threadflip’s white glove service makes selling clothes easy: the company sends a box with a pre-paid shipping label to your doorstep, you pack up your unwanted clothes, and Threadflip photographs, lists, prices, and ships the items for you.
5/10<a href="http://www.materialwrld.com/" target="_blank">Material Wrld</a>
This invite-only online pop-store hasn't officially launched yet, but it's gaining buzz for allowing users to shop the closets of top tastemakers. The Harvard Business School founders have hinted that these tastemakers will include top fashion bloggers like The Man Repeller. Closet envy, be gone! We're imaging this as The Coveteur coming to life.
6/10<a href="http://www.shoptiques.com/" target="_blank">Shoptiques</a>
Shoptiques brings boutique shopping online by selling inventory from local stores and emerging designers. Striving to achieve that funky Wicker Park Chicagoan style, or on the hunt for a specific boutique in the Nolita area of New York? You're in the right place; you can browse stores by small, specific neighborhoods across the nation.
7/10<a href="http://pose.com/" target="_blank">Pose</a>
This free iPhone app encourages you to upload daily photos of their outfits. While others comment on your looks and try to emulate them (you can tag each element of your outfit with the brand or store it came from), you can build your own personal style diary. Rachel Zoe, Coco Rocha, and brands like DKNY are all on the Pose platform as "influencers." You'll never bother your friends with a "does this look okay?" text again.
8/10<a href="http://modaoperandi.com/" target="_blank">Moda Operandi</a>
It's hard to believe that Moda Operandi has only been around for a little over a year, as the retail website has transformed and modernized online luxury shopping. The business is the first online retailer to allow shoppers to pre-order runway collections immediately following fashion shows. If you're splurging for off-the-runway looks, why should you have to be patient?
9/10<a href="http://www.beachmint.com" target="_blank">BeachMint</a>
BeachMint is the little start-up brand that keeps on growing and growing. The company offers shoppers customized products on a monthly basis (for a membership fee). It started in 2010 with e-commerce site, Jewelmint, expanded in 2011 with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's StyleMint t-shirt collection, and recently extended to ShoeMint, a collaboration with Rachel Bilson and Steve Madden. The site suggests products based on a survey you complete about your style, making shopping an easy and painless experience (which is how it always should be!).
10/10<a href="http://fashism.com/" target="_blank">Fashism</a>
Whether it's a salesgirl or a shopper in the neighboring dressing room, we trust and depend on strangers for shopping advice. Fashism crowd-sources opinions by enabling you to post outfits photos, ask questions, and receive instantaneous feedback. Unfortunately, you can't always trust our friends to give candid, unbiased advice, but you can rely on a wide audience of anonymous fashion-obsessed strangers.
