Dear Friend,
Can't believe it is the end of August already... I hope your summer has been absolutely fantastic so far! Mine was a roller-coaster-ish one, highlighted by my first skydiving experience a couple of weeks ago.
As you know, I have been writing about different topics on fashion tech for over a year now, but have never really created a general article, overviewing the fashion technology start up scene. At my first informal meetup last week, I presented a summary of this fascinating space, introduced the different types of fashion tech start ups that are currently trending and why they are important for the development of fashion industry in general. After my talk, the attendees had a lively discussion on several key themes and got to a consensus that sustainability and conscious consumption should be an essential part of every fashion tech company’s vision today.
In this article, I created a no-frills overview of what types of companies are currently operating under what we understand as “fashion tech start ups” umbrella. I am starting with a list of B2C (business to consumer) companies, and in my next newsletter, I am going to complete this Fashion Tech 101 mini-series with B2B start up types.
Oh, and you won't want to miss my inaugural official fashion tech event, The Future of On-Demand Fashion featuring my first and awesome guest speaker, Veronika Harbick of Thursday Finest. She is an absolutely brilliant entrepreneur, you are going to learn so much from her! The event will take place at my sweet second home, SPRING HQ. Excited to see you there!
News Digest:
- AI is not optional for retail - VentureBeat
- ‘Retail isn’t dying’: How brands are competing for brick-and-mortar space -Glossy
- What Happened to Wearables? - Business of Fashion
- Now at Saks: Salt Rooms, a Bootcamp and a Peek at Retail’s Future - New York Times
- Smart Money Transforming The New Fashion Tech Investment Landscape - FashNerd
- This T-Shirt Sewing Robot Could Radically Shift The Apparel Industry - FastCoDesign
- This company wants to make the fashion industry sustainable using blockchain - EcoBusiness
- 10 Things You Can Do to Shop More Sustainably - Racked
- The virtual revolution of retail - Medium
- How selfie taking has influenced fashion - Edited
Events
Wednesday, August 30th
6:00pm IoT NY #46 - Machine Learning In IoT
Discussion, use cases & a demo around how Machine Learning (ML) is being applied in IoT. With Norbert Krupa (Talend). Price: Free Location: Canary 606 W 28th St, 7th Floor
10:00pm B2B Viral Marketing: Can You Build Buzz Like a Consumer App?
PR Hacker CEO and viral expert Ben Kaplan [www.prhacker.com] will go inside some of the most noteworthy B2B marketing hits of the past decade to get a better understanding of how viral principles are changing the face of modern business-to-business marketing and growth. Price: Free Location: Online
Tuesday, September 5th
12:56pm - 2:15pm Double Your Sales Crash Course
Learn proven strategies that companies from all industries have used to take their company to the next level. Price: Free Location: WeWork Chelsea, 115 W 18th
7:00pm Creative Female Founders
Network + snacks w/ other female founder peers & hone your creative leadership skills. Price: $10 Location: FounderTherapy, 139 Fulton St, #400
Thursday, September 7th
6:30pm - 8:30pm Fail Forward
Be inspired by real stories of how industry pros overcame their failures, and gain insight to help you on your journey to success. This months' topic is fashion. Price: Free Location: General Assembly East, 902 Broadway, 4th Fl
Friday, September 8th
9:00am Reboot Summit - Future Of Work & Your Media Career
With Taryn Sauthoff (Dir., ComedyCentral), Jessica Barnett (Product Mgr, Trello), Kathryn Jones (Exec Dir., RMC), Paul Cannetti (CEO, MAZ Digital), Adda Birnir (CEO, Skillcrush). Price: $99 Location: Microsoft HQ, 11 Times Sq
11:00am Refinery29 Presents - 29 Rooms
Interactive funhouse of style, culture & technology. Price: $19 Location: 106 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn
7:30pm The History Of The Future - Steampunk, Spacesuits & Beyond
Join us for the Empiricist League’s twentieth gathering, featuring presentations about the science of steampunk, past visions of urban futures, and designing outerwear for outer space. Price: $10 Location: Union Hall, 702 Union St, Brooklyn
Tuesday, September 12th
5:00pm NY Fashion Week Presents - The Future Of Fashion
Hang w/ top fashion startups, influencers, accelerators, & investors. Free drinks + swag on NYC's best rooftop. Price: $99 Location: The Attic Rooftop, 251 W 48th St
5:00pm - 7:00pm NYFW Presents - The Future of Fashion
Presentation by 5 emerging designers and 5 fashion-tech startups. Price: Free Location: The Attic NYC, 251 W 48th
Thursday, September 14th
6:00pm - 8:30pm Dolphin Tank NYC: Fashion Tech
A "feedback-driven" pitch session, Springboard Enterprises' The Dolphin Tank allows entrepreneurs to pitch to investors and industry experts and immediately get actionable insight on their presentation in a friendly, constructive way. Price: Free Location: Davis & Gilbert LLP 1740 Broadway
Saturday, September 16th - Monday, September 18th
Capsule is the premier gathering of the finest apparel and accessories brands from around the world. More than a tradeshow, the brands who participate in Capsule make up a community that is shaping the future fashion landscape. In our case, different really is better. Price: Free Location: Pier 94, 711 12th Ave
9:00am - 6:00pm Cabana Fashion Trade Show
Cabana is a place where brands and buyers can do business but also reunite and relax. Service is taken into consideration in all aspects of the show whether it’s golf carts between venues, creative food options, or a personalized bracelet instead of a badge as you enter the show – at Cabana it’s all in the details. Price: Free Location: Pier 92, 711 12th Ave
Wednesday, September 21st
6:30pm The Future of On-Demand Fashion with Thursday Finest
My first official event will feature Veronika Harbick of Thursday Finest one of the very first companies succeeding in the on-demand production of clothing & accessories, using 3D knitting technology. We'll hear about how she built her start up from the ground up, challenges and road blocks of creating a vertically-integrated direct-to-consumer business, which accelerators are worth participating. Nikka will also share her thoughts on the future of on-demand production and sustainability in fashion. Price: Free Location: SPRING HQ, 360 Park Avenue South (btw 25 & 26 st), 16th Floor
Cool Finds:
- ODM/ODC - Off Duty Model On Duty Citizen. A Sustainable fashion brand that helps you achieve an off-duty-model style.
- They Wish - What the world's smartest wish they knew when younger
- Fashion is Your Business Podcast Episode featuring Aubrie Pagano of Bow & Drape
Stay inspired,
Nataliya