Slow-fashion, ethical-fashion, regenerative fashion and now zoom-fashion. The fashion industry has made headlines in the past 18 months but not for the reasons we would expect. Candace Little explains that with a growing demand for brand transparency on their ethical and sustainable practices, and brick & mortar being mostly inaccessible over the past 2 years, the way we consume fashion has changed and the industry is playing catch-up.
Enter a new AI-driven platform Threadicated, launched just 20 months ago – before COVID-19 swept Australia – by entrepreneur Danielle Johansen. Threadicated is a bespoke online styling service shipped straight to your door and ironically, couldn’t have come at a better time.
Fashion advocate Danielle Johansen, founded Threadicated, an online personal styling service that uses the expertise of a personal stylist, combined with technology to create a truly personalised styling experience.
When Danielle launched Threadicated, she couldn’t have predicted a global pandemic but likewise, she couldn’t have predicted the massive effect this would have on the way consumers shop. Australia Post recently reported that online shopping growth for the 12 months to 30 June 2021, topped 31.8 per cent. That was good news for Threadicated and Danielle, with sales more than tripling year on year and in a position to seek equity funding.
As Danielle explains, the overwhelm of online shopping during the pandemic is real.
“When you go onto a brands website, there is probably about 10% of the product that is going to be right for you, that is going to match your size, your colouring, your budget”, says Danielle.
“That means 90% of what you see is not right for you. And when you already have so much on your plate, that’s a lot to manage just to select that perfect outfit that will make you feel like you haven’t been trapped at home for weeks or months.”
How does Threadicated work?
First, you create your own “style profile” which involves answering multiple questions about your body shape, the colours you like, how you like your clothing to fit, what kind of clothes you need right now and so on.
Then, you can choose how often you’d like to receive a selection of outfits – you can either pay for the ones you choose to keep or send back the items you’re not keen on. Simple!
Why is AI the future of fashion?
The experience of shopping in-store is fabulous for that time-rich 20-year-olds with a sample-size figure. But if you’re a busy professional, perhaps juggling family life and (like most) don’t have the luxury of being able to pull off every style, cut and colour, the advantage of personal styling is a game-changer.
As Danielle explains, AI technology is taking the guesswork out of the personal styling process.
“AI takes data from your style profile and from over 100,000 products, 1500 brands, and sorts through it all to suggest products that are a good match for you,” explains Danielle.
“We use an algorithm to do a lot of the legwork and eliminate the products that are not going to be right for a customer and then a stylist will complete the process according to your needs and budget.”
With so much of our lives lived online, platforms such as Threadicated are helping to lessen the mental load of an already challenging time.
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