Do you or someone you know suffer from size-a-phobia? Or worse — is your online brand imprint muddled with sizing complaints resulting in negative customer reviews.
It's time to stop focusing on the size and pick up your mobile phone.
There's an app for that.
U.K. computer programmer Anna Powell-Smith has collected the official apparel size data and built a data visualisation to assist the women of Britain and the US navigate the sea of sizing options sold at various shops. The end result is a web app called What Size Am I?.
The application, inspired by The New York Times article: One Size Fits Nobody: Seeking a Steady 4 or a 10, lets you put in your measurements (bust, waist and hips) in inches and cm and recommends brands and sizes that would fit the best. Due to the three unique datapoints, the results favor different body shapes flattered by different stores.
"I tested the app with friends, and while some felt that fit also depends on fabric and cut, we were all interested to see the variation between shops... I also adapted it to display nicely on mobile phones, so you can use it on the move," said Ms. Powell-Smith within a datablog post on The Guardian website. "I'm surprised no-one has explored the data or built a similar site before, but then being a computer programmer and a fashion fan is… unusual. Coders get an unfair press in some ways (I find most are articulate and charming) but when it comes to fashion, the clichés are largely true. Tech conferences are a sad sea of baggy black T-shirts," she continued.
In an industry where virtual fitting rooms are the latest lure to dress the average woman, What Size Am I? provides a simple non-augmented solution based on official measurements published online by each shop: closest sizes estimated with least squares.
We love the motto: "Finding clothes that fit shouldn't be so hard. Add your measurements here to find out which high-street sizes are best for you," and hope manufacturers and retailers take note.
Remember the Procter & Gamble virtual grocery store in Prague that we mentioned last November?
Tapping into two of the top 5 consumer trends for 2012, Glamour Magazine has created a similar installation devoted to beauty products across from the Standard Hotel in Manhattan's Meatpacking District, according to Advertising Age.
Customers simply scan barcodes with an app on their phone to buy real products for home delivery from the Glamour Apothecary Wall. Brands represented in the pop-up presentation include C.O. Bigelow, John Frieda, Elizabeth Arden, Clearasil and Versace.
While the concept of a virtual shopping wall may not be new, we are loving how Glamour Magazine is engaging with customers using innovation in unexpected spaces.
Top picks from a plethora of happenings rocking the New York this week...
Popup rides: Glamour has teamed up with YSL and Lancome to offer free taxi-shops for Fashion Week. Just download the app and swipe your mobile phone to snag your very own beauty cab.
Don't forget men$wear: Ace Hotel teams up with Martin Greenfield Clothiers for a two-day bespoke pop-up tailor service.
Charming presentation: Lauren Moffatt sent her models back to school for Fall.
The gorgeous gardening handbook-meets-cookbook is an A to Z guide for growing and enjoying vegetables harvested from your garden. We love the the fresh approach to seasonal food with helpful techniques on how to plant and prepare delicacies from your own back yard.
Is it possible to trim the apparel cost structure and funnel profits into philanthropy? The team behind Monolith, a New York-based social shopping website, aims to do just that.
Currently in development, the subscription-based online start-up plans to deliver designer-quality clothing to customers for $111 or less. Subscribers will have a chance to browse men’s and women’s apparel and accessories collections online and decide which pieces they want to buy, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Monolith will then produce the items every five weeks in factories scattered around the globe (U.S., Mexico, India and Asia). “Well-known luxury brands like Gucci, Fendi, Prada—they all use the same factories,” said Nick Ralph, 29, the company’s Chief Executive Officer and founder. “They’re making hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars in profits on a single item. To us, it’s kind of ridiculous," he continued.
In addition to low priced designer goods from top-notch factories, the company will tap into conscientious consumerism with a “Buy One, Give One Program” — similar to the model employed by Toms Shoes. According to the Monolith website, the company will donate the same item purchased on the subscriber's behalf to children and adults in need so that they can secure better job opportunities, increase wages, and build confidence.
As a crowd-funded initiative, Monolith won’t launch until it raises $3.2m in pledges, according to Mr. Ralph. After three months of fund raising, the company has raised roughly $788,000, including pledges from past investors, family and friends.
The company decided to forgo the traditional venture-capital route to maintain the company’s philanthropic edge. “I’ve raised money for four companies through venture capital,” he said. “Most of the time, you end up going for the cheapest bulk and the cheapest return. The VC takes most of the equity and often shifts the company focus from creating something magical to creating a lean money-making machine in hopes of a highly profitable exit. I thought: There’s got to be a different way.”
We love Monolith's approach to Smart Commerce and Life Story Labeling. It's refreshing to see new concepts private label quality garments with cause-related initiatives instead of targeting mass production manufacturing aimed at the lowest common denominator: every-day fair-and-square pricing.
Equal part art installation and community curation, the one week bartering pop-up store opened during the season in which Baechu Cabbage Kimtschi is traditionally made in Korea aiming to secured personal cultural artifacts of equivalent value from various cultures in the city in exchange for "the national treasure of Korea".
The exchange of 60+ portions between customers and the Dr. Rhee's Food Lab brand was then documented online in real-time so followers could understand the specific reasons which a specific object was displayed. View the complete catalog here.
A collaborative project from visual artist Kate Hers and scientist Hanjo Rhee, we love how the exhibition engaged community prior to opening via Kickstarter funding and again throughout the event — linking food to cultural identity.
J.Crew has announced plans for a new menswear concept store called The Ludlow Shop, named after its popular Ludlow men's suit, according to Women's Wear Daily.
It will offer a full assortment of suits along with Thomas Mason shirts, Italian cashmere, a large shoe assortment and neckwear. “The Ludlow suit has become a business unto itself at J. Crew,” said Millard “Mickey” Drexler, CEO of J.Crew Group Inc.
The New York City outpost will have suit experts, on-staff tailors, and will offer courier delivery and monogramming. Retail prices will range from $400 to $1500.
The Ludlow development team will also launch one to two additional suit models and is focusing on the ancillary haberdashery items.
Though there are currently no plans for more Ludlow stores, Drexler said: “I never use the word ‘rollout’ as much as ‘evolving.’ We will give this an opportunity to show itself in an important way. Ask me again in three or six months. We could add Ludlow shops to more existing J. Crew stores.”
We love how this new concept builds on the successes, outlined in the January 2011 post don't forget men$wear, the brand has established in this category.
The sport of concept stores has clearly gone co-ed.
On the success of innovative film collaborations by NOWNESS to portray the LVMH brands (and cohorts) with a differentiated light, we predict more brands will invest in brand-building video content to elevate the customer experience.
Case in point — The Luxury Collection original short film, “Here,” directed by Luca Guadagnino.
The film was produced by Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton and Waris Ahluwalia (the brand’s newest Global Explorer) and reunites Ahluwalia with Guadagnino, the director of their Golden Globe-nominated film, I Am Love, to offers a glimpse into the hidden treasures and iconic properties across the United States.
Starring Agyness Deyn, the short explores the beauty of three destinations set to music by Jason Schwartzman and Woody Jackson.
The brand's mantra, "Life Is A Collection of Experiences. Let Us Be Your Guide," led the creative direction for the team to explore the unexpected joys of a cross-country journey. With romantic undertones, the ethereal, dreamlike sequence feels part Alfred Hitchcock tribute as the character uncovers clues along the adventure.
We love the poignant storyline as a tactic for communicating escapism in a modern technologically charged culture.
- A new twist on conscious consumption: A vending machine that allows users to donate and receive items without spending money.
- Pop-up art: A 24-hour museum, designed by Milan-based artist and satirist Francesco Vezzoli with Rem Koolhaas' think tank AMO, which will pop-up for one day (January 24th).
FASHION
- The world's top 100 most valuable luxury brands includes fashion favorites Hermes, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Ferragamo, Versace, Prada, Fendi, Giorgio Armani and Ermenegildo Zegna.
