Wednesday morning we had the pleasure to attend the Wim Accelerator Founder’s Breakfast with special guest Chrysi Philalithes. Chrysi is the Chief Digital Officer at (RED) which was founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver to help contribute to the Global Fund. (RED) works to partner with brands such as Apple, Starbucks, Beats and Shazam to raise awareness and money to provide treatment for AIDS in Africa. The organization has a goal of helping make the first AIDS-free generation by 2015. read more »
Want to know everything there is to know about the state of fashion tech? Grab some popcorn and enjoy our founder, Liza Kindred’s keynote on the subject. read more »
Thanks to Kate Middleton, legwear is chicer than ever – and is definitely a staple in the modern woman’s wardrobe. Yet, they can be notoriously difficult to shop for. They can also be difficult to wear; they snag, run, and are either too cheaply made or too much of a splurge.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Riding the wave of subscription boxes to hit the fashion world, HauteLegs sends stylist-curated packages of exclusively designed tights, leggings, hosiery, and socks every month directly to their subscribers.
Third Wave Fashion spoke with Monica Pratap, CEO and Founder of HauteLegs, to learn about the story behind the company.
The fashion industry is growing at an exponential rate, but it’s not just the big brands that are reaping the benefits; small fashion businesses are popping up everywhere and changing all preconceived notions of how the market’s served. Recently, we produced a piece on the ways crowdsourcing is changing the way fashion startups gain insight and grow in their space. The newest venture that we can’t get enough of, and has seamlessly integrated crowdsourcing in their funding plans, is Manufacture New York. This NYC incubator and factory hybrid is empowering designers through collaborative spaces and access to production.
Check out how the founder, Bob Bland, thought up the idea for Manufacture New York and all the different ways you can get involved. read more »
There’s a buzzword we’ve been reading about more and more in the fashion community: crowdsourcing. By this point we know that crowdsourcing is “the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, and especially from an online community, rather than from traditional employees or suppliers.” (Wikipedia) It’s so popular in the startup community because it’s about the sharing of ideas and partaking in the collaborative process. Let us tell you, this is not a fad. read more »
Money. Every startup needs it, and it’s usually at the most vulnerable, early-stage, high risk point when it needs the most. Tech startups, for instance, are notorious for seeking out a number of different ways of receiving funding including: venture capital, angel investing, and other seed funding opportunities. This is because, typically, these types of startups are too small to raise capital in the public market, so they go to venture capital firms or independent venture capitalists and ask for funds in exchange for equity in their company.
But because venture capital has been less available in recent times, startups have to find the best ways to turn a profit and satisfy stakeholders, and even more more critical, they must be particularly creative and sharp before spending any money at all. Here are 3 things to consider before spending your company’s hard-earned cash. read more »
Fashions change over time, it’s a rule of life. A designer bubble skirt that was a hit last Spring, may no longer be in style this season– and the same goes for menswear. A few years ago, every working man was sporting the classic wide (or “fat”) tie with their suit. Today however, the most fashionable men (such Justin Timberlake to Karl Lagerfeld) are wearing sleek, thin ties aka”skinny” ties. Thanks to New York-based startup, SKINNYFATTIES, men can stay on trend without draining their bank accounts.
Founded by Joshua Adam Brueckner, SKINNYFATTIES custom tailors wide neckties, providing a more wallet-friendly alternative to buying new skinny ties at retail value. ”Not hating on fat ties. As a matter of fact, the patterns and materials are usually incredible. These fat ties just need a little help. That’s where SKINNYFATTIES comes in,” said Brueckner.
Following the example set by Warby Parker, SKINNYFATTIES donates $1 to non-profit organization Career Gear, which helps men transition into the workforce.
TWF sat down with Joshua to get the inside scoop on the business model, men’s fashion and skinny ties.
We all love a good party. There’s nothing better than great horde’euvres, some refreshments, and plain ol’ good company. Interestingly enough, these features are typically what make a business/networking event so successful. So why is it that so many startups choose not to host events? It’s an interesting paradigm but we’re siding with ‘you should definitely be hosting more events’. Here’s why: read more »
In the past few years, we’ve seen a number of online jewelry sites popup, making beautifully made jewelry more accessible than ever. We’ve also seen numerous crowd sourcing companies enter the marketplace, helping independent designers find a market for their one-of-a-kind designs. Yet until we came across Shopbevel, we had never seen the two come together.
Founded by Stanford Business School Graduate, Courtney McColgan, Shopbevel works with independent designers to bring the best in jewelry design to market. Designers submit designs, the community votes and Shopbevel produces the selected winners with designers receiving royalties. Shopbevel’s first design challenge, held in January 2012, received 68 entries and attracted over 4,000 votes. Hundreds of design entries later, Shopbevel is on its way to changing the jewelry industry.
Excited to learn more, TWF sat down with the Founder and CEO, Courtney, to ask her a few questions of our own.
They say The Fashion 2.0 Awards Show is attended by the fashion industry’s social media stars, and they’re absolutely right! Last night we had the opportunity to sit next to the social media and digital elite of the fashion industry, and it was an event of true celebration, admiration, recognition, and laughs…lots and lots of laughs.
