Fashion Tech News: August 2
From Cult Gaia, Balenciaga and Ralph Lauren entering the digital realm, to shopping pre-loved New Balance Reconsidered collection.
News & Updates
Off the back of Web3’s hot streak last week, which saw Coach enter the gaming realm, Balenciaga embrace the Vision Pro, and Brunello Cucinelli tap artificial intelligence, things are looking up for digital fashion.
This week, however, it’s the indie players that are back in the spotlight, with LA-based lifestyle label and influencer favorite Cult Gaia launching a new Web3 community membership for its followers.
Syky is also next in line to join the Vision Pro bandwagon with an experience poised to bring fledgling and independent designers into the homes of tech-savvy fashion fans.
Ralph Lauren’s popular subsidiary brand Polo Ralph Lauren, has teamed up with AR-leader Snap and creative digital studio Beyond.Studio on a new interactive filter based on the label’s patches. An accessory that harks back to Ralph Lauren’s early days, the new AR filter brings to life the Americana-themed emblems. This latest venture aims to introduce a younger audience to the insignias through digitization.
Fashion Tech Birthdays to celebrate!
This week marks Nuuly's 5th anniversary. Nuuly is a curated rent subscription service with pieces from Free People, AGOLDE, Badgley Mischka, For Love & Lemons, and more. Nuuly also offers Nuuly Thrift, or buy + sell secondhand on Nuuly’s community resale platform (Note from the editor: Why did I not know that Nuuly had a resale platform until now??😂) You can also shop secondhand pieces from Nuuly’s rental program on Urban Outfitters, Anthropology, and Free People.
To celebrate Nuuly launched their largest campaign to date to spread the word that BUYING IS NORMAL, RENTING IS NUULY.
DRESSX, a digital fashion store that carries 3D clothing collections from most well-known contemporary brands born in the physical world and in the digital space, celebrated its 4th birthday! Starting with digital dressing for photos in 2020, today the DRESSX community can wear digital fashion anywhere, from social media to major avatar platforms, using the DRESSX Metacloset app (iOS and Android), DRESSX Gen AI (dressx.me) and avatar fashion.
A handful of B2B Resale As A Service (R.A.A.S.) brand launches.
Archive, a branded resale technology platform, recently partnered with New Balance to launch in-store trade-in at nearly 100 participating U.S. retail locations. New Balance Reconsidered features both customer-sourced as well as brand-owned inventory of cosmetically imperfect products that could not be sold. NB acknowledges “the footwear industry has an outsized environmental impact, including too many products ending up in a landfill,” so launching Reconsidered is one way New Balance is focusing on extending the life of their products.
Sustainable kids’ footwear brand, Dubs, has a new partnership with the resale platform, Continue. The collaboration will advance the brand’s mission to prolong the lifespan of every pair of shoes through its ‘Immortal Sneaker’ initiative. Shop pre-loved here.
Loop Apparel, a Denver-based sustainable circular kids’ clothing brand is not only a new brand, as of December 2023, but houses its own RAAS tech platform. The company currently carries T-shirts in several sizes, made with ethically sourced organic cotton and dyes. Parents can buy one of these shirts, and when their kid outgrows it, return and exchange it for a size up for a cheaper price. Read more.
WANNA is solving major challenges in online jewelry shopping.
Presenting gemstones, crystals, and precious metals online is challenging, as photos often miss their sparkle and playful reflections and don't show jewelry on different skin tones. WANNA, a startup empowering brands through 3D & AR experiences, is solving these problems by showcasing jewelry on different skin tones, offering the highest level of personalization possible online, increasing user engagement and creating a memorable touchpoint for online shoppers.
Give it a try for yourself
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John Lewis launches first pre-loved range of designer handbags online via The Industry Fashion
Sign of the Times, a London-based pre-owned luxury reseller store, announced an expanded partnership with John Lewis. After success of the pop-up in Peter Jones, Sign of the Times have partnered with John Lewis to launch their very first selection of pre-owned handbags online. In addition to shopping at Peter Jones, you can now purchase pre-loved bags from Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and more via the John Lewis website, here.
Bay Area Clothing Swap hosted by unspun & Re/make
Unspun, a 3D weaving tech company is teaming up with Re/make for their NO NEW CLOTHES Challenge. Join them for a different kind of clothes swap, where we celebrate the journeys of our wardrobes and give items new life and new stories.
📆 Thursday, August 8 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm
RSVP here.
Hiring from companies mentioned above
Nuuly Junior Copywriter - Philadelphia, PA
Nuuly Associate Buyer - Maternity - Philadelphia, PA
Nuuly Senior Brand Marketing Manager - Philadelphia, PA
Unspun Technical Project Manager, Hardware - San Francisco, CA
Unspun Chief of Staff - San Francisco, CA
Unspun Mechanical Engineer - San Francisco, CA
Unspun Senior Mechanical Engineer - San Francisco, CA
DRESSX Character Concept Artist | Senior 3D Character Artist, Clothing (Worldwide) | Senior Texture Artist
Beyond.Studio Senior AR Developer - Amsterdam
Beyond.Studio Administrative Assistant - Amsterdam
Archive Project Manager - Client Facing - New York, NY
Sign of the Times Sales Advisor - London