Fashion Geek Alert: 3-D Printer Produces Shoes

A company called 3D Systems is about to make a woman's ultimate dream come true. Ladies, meet Cube, an at-home 3-D printer that will enable users to design and print shoes. The company has been working on the technology for the last 25 years and as sci-fi as it sounds, the printer will be available later this year for $1,299. Cube takes plastic-like material and molds it according to the design, allowing for intricate creations with "unlimited geometry," as described by Cathy Lewis, vice president for global marketing at 3D Systems. The printer can also create handbags and jewelry and is already being used by young designers. TFG is excited about this new technology, which is another affirmation that fashion geeks will continue to shape the industry. Check out some of Cube's amazing designs.

Fashion Geek Alert: World's First Shoppable Music Video

One of TFG's favorite E-commerce sites, SSense.com, has just launched the world's first interactive shoppable music video. "I Think She Ready" features FKI, Grammy-nominated Diplo, and newly-signed Interscope rapper Iggy Azalea. Users can shop the artists' looks directly through the video using interactive hopspot technology. Once you move your mouse over the video, a "shop the look" button will appear. Click on the button and the items will appear in individual photos to select and shop on SSense. The video includes women's and men's fashion featuring designers like Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, Y3, and Dries Van Noten. As a fashion and music lover, TFG is excited about this innovative and interactive concept. Check it out!

Fashion Geek Alert: Shoptiques Brings the Boutique Experience Online

The increasing number of startups in the fashion tech scene only proves one thing: the future of fashion is online and digital, with only one click, play, add to cart, pin-it, or pose button away. While many, including TFG, have embraced the technological developments in fashion and love the convenience of shopping online, others still resist the impersonal experience of e-commerce sites and hesitate to delve into the fashion tech services that are out there. What those people may not realize is that the internet is a great source for deals and unique finds that can top the experiece of any personal boutique. At least that is what Shoptiques.com is trying to prove.

 The latest startup out of the fashion-tech scene, Shoptiques accumulates images of inventory from fashion boutiques around the U.S. and puts them on their site for shoppers to peruse and purchase. The goal is to to provide that hometown boutique access for everyone all across the country. The site operates by partnering with boutique owners who curate one-of-a-kind fashion, which are then photographed by a freelance photographer. The photos are then uploaded to the site with each product’s description and price. 

Users of Shoptiques can browse boutiques located throughout the country to find the best collections. Currently, the site has partnered with boutiques in the following cities: New York, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, and Atlanta. The user can search the site by boutique name, city, or category. Each boutique provides a profile of the store and its owners, followed by studio shots of the inventory. The site was founded by Olga Vidisheva, a graduate of Harvard Busines School, and has been backed by a number of VC firms and angel investors. Check out the following behind-the-scenes video!

Fashion Geek Alert: Pose and Upload Your Outfit

Pose is a mobile-based fashion startup from Los Angeles that has made waves in the fashion tech scene in the last year and is taking over the fashion world, one stylist, fashionista, and fashion blogger at a time. Rachel Zoeand The Man Repeller's Leandra Medine both use the application to post pictures of their outfits on their blogs, Facebook profiles, and Pose profiles for their eager followers. Check out Rachel Zoe's Pose profile here and The Man Repeller's Pose profile here.  The application allows you to tag individual items from your ensemble based on category and brand on a daily basis. Users can also share images of what they are buying or thinking of buying at stores. Friends can then leave comments on the photos, merging social shopping and image sharing into one fashionable application. 

 

The interface is simple and the user engagement has simply digitized what girls have always done in real life when they got together with friends and helped them decide on what to wear or buy before going out. Only now, it's taken this pastime to a world-wide, fabulous fashion-geek level, allowing users to share and discover inspiring styles from around the world. The application is available to iphone and Android users and can be downloaded here. The company even has a blog where it posts its favorite uploads from users. As the fashion tech scene continues to grow, Pose proves that when fashionistas and geeks come together, beautiful things can happen. 

 

Fashion Geek Alert: Stylyst Latest Fashion Tech Startup

The latest out of Silicon Valley's fashion tech scene is a site that merges social shopping with fashion design. Stylyst is a web platform that allows users to place a brand's design on a "silhouette" and change the colors or swap out the fabric choice with a drag and drop tool and tweak the overall look, effectively turning the user into a fashion designer.  

Other users can vote on the various silhouettes, allowing brands to use these votes to either manufacture the most popular colors and fabrics or adjust production according to the popularity of the original design. Stylyst also allows its users to purchase the designs, directing sales for the brand. In merging commerce, social media, and fashion, the potential to monetize the site has already allowed the founders, Wharton graduates Jenny Wu and Nina Cherny, and to receive a $25,000 investment.  Stylyst is looking to raise a seed round soon and will launch in April 2012.  The site will join a long roster of startups that have cropped up in the last five years, revolutionizing the fashion scene and making it clear that the future of the industry is online.  The Fashion Grid is only too excited to cover all the innovations and geek chic that Silicon Valley has to offer.