This past week, I was lucky enough to attend a presentation called ‘Fashion in the Digital World’. Held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Younge-Dundas Square, the event was a an overwhelming information session on 5 of the biggest digital fashion brands within Canada – Fashion Forward, Peacock Parade, Hangrz, Mejuri Jewellery, and Fashion Society.
I learnt so much for this seminar, and I’m more than happy to share the details with you! Keep reading for a detailed breakdown on these 5 game-changing online fashion stores, and why you should be bookmarking these sites for the future!
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Site: Fashion Forward
Summary: FREE local classifieds in every city across Canada, to sell your clothes, jewellery and accessories
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IFASHIONFORWARD
Fashion Forward is an online classified where you can buy and sell valuable, new, and sometimes unused valuable designer clothes. The video above gives the simplest breakdown of the site! You’re able to browse the items you’re looking for by category and by specified ‘search’ words. To put this website in the simplest form, it’s a cash for goods service where you earn 100% of the profits.
Founded by Jodi Goodfellow and Melvin Constantino (who also presented the website to us at the Hard Rock Cafe), they founded the site when they realized there was a gap in the market. Selling clothes to consignment shops usually meant large commission fees that resulted in a loss of money to the seller. Selling clothes through other online avenues (i.e. eBay) meant a loss with shipping costs. Founding a site where 100% of the profits go to the seller? Too good of an idea to pass up!
Now, Fashion Forward boosts an online community of over 300 active users. Sellers and buyers have the option of buying in bulk. There is no fear of banking fraud, since the transactions are all in person, without the aide of online tools. Setting up an account is super easy, and you can upload photos directly from your smart phone. Interested? Check out the site here!
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Site: Peacock Parade
Summary: Purchase designer merchandise for over 80% off retail prices
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeacockParade
Peacock Parade is a members online site (don’t worry, it’s super easy and free to apply) that sells luxury labels at insider prices. They sell mainly women’s fashions and accessories. They covet over 200 luxurious brands, including a bevy of Canadian labels. What make’s this site different? Time limited sales!
Peacock Parade operates like a ‘flash sale’ website – and that was exactly the feel the owners, Nancy Sohata and Jan Gandhi, were going for. The two met in New York, where sample and flash sales were all the buzz. Bringing that feeling to the Canadian market has been their vision – and Peacock Parade is their baby.
Peacock Parade has a ‘timed shopping cart’ – you have a short window to make the purchase, or the item goes back into the queue for other members to purchase. You have 15 minutes, after admission of wanting to purchase, to fill out the details of sale. A member is only allowed 5 items in their cart at a time (to prevent hoarding). The site boasts 11am sales everyday, usually lasting 5 – 7 days at a time. The fast nature of buying gives off the effect of the ‘thrill of the purchase’. Peacock Parade does accept returns, but only for store credit. With shipping as low as a flat rate of $6.95, why not stop by today?
After all, life is a parade, attend in style!
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Site: Hangrz
Summary: Broadcast your style and manage your wardrobe, all online
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hangrz
Hangrz is the newest kid on the block. Launched LAST WEEK, the website is still under extreme development, but I’ve still got the all the details so you’re informed when it does soft launch into the world.
Hangrz is like the ‘facebook’ of the style world. You create your closet, full of clothes you own and clothes you want. Once you’ve created your closet, you can make outfits out of what’s in it, and broadcast them on your own Hangrz account. You can follow other closets, create your own profile, and covet other outfits – the site will include an WANT, GOT, and BUY function, where you are sent to the third party site to purchase items that you see and want! It’s all about your individual fashion taste. Create seperate closets with your favourite looks based on your own style (i.e. closet for shoes, closet for boho chic, closet for black dresses, etc). Upload photos of your own, or save photos online through a trusty Hangrz app.
The site came to be after the founders realized it would be easier to manage your closet online – it actually was birthed out of the phrase ‘there should be an app for that’. It was an untapped market that the founders have now utilized to their advantage! Look for it to launch soon!
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Site: Mejuri Jewellery
Summary: An online jewellery platform that gives designers the ability to submit designs, get votes and feedback, and earn!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mejuri
Mejuri Jewellery is a crowd sourcing jewellery site with fine jewellery and unique options. The concept behind Mejuri is simple – designers come up with fine jewellery design ideas, jewellery lovers vote on the designs, a winning design is selected, and the design is produced.
It’s an innovative idea because it gives you – the consumer – the ability to choose what’s produced. You get to be a part of the entire jewellery making process! Also, Mejuri is creating great designer-Mejuri relationships that can last a lifetime. Mejuri currently boasts 290 designers worldwide, in 22 countries.
Mejuri also hosts ‘open calls’ and ‘challenges’, with an open call allowing the designers to submit pieces at any point in time, and a challenge is centred on a specific theme or event. It helps to broaden the horizons of both the designer and the buyer!
Look for the “Community” section to open this week! It allows for users to get news and updates on the latest designs, create posts and engage in discussion with other users, and even post your own designs! Check it out today!
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Site: The Fashion Society
Summary: An online retailer that provides exclusive access to Canadian and American designers, at a deep discount to you!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FS_CO
The Fashion Society is a site that provides users with clothing and accessories from Canadian and American designers, at deeply discounted (almost 70% off) prices! The best part of this site? Their products are ALWAYS AVAILABLE and ALWAYS in stock. No more crying when items are on backorder! From the runway to your doorway, accessing products is super easy.
The online store boasts ‘hidden gems’, boutique and designer clothes, as well as worldwide designers. The retail section includes in stock, in season items, sale sections, ‘now’ brands, 30 to 60 percent sales, and online exclusives.
They currently have three different aspects of their website – Wholesale, Retail and Phase 4. Retail is described above. Wholesale offers smaller boutiques the ability to carry items they may not usually be able to carry (due to pricing). The Fashion Society will sell to different websites or boutiques items at a discounted price. Finally, Phase 4 is manufacturing. The Fashion Society is now offering designers the ability to manufacture on their behalf – in Canada! A great innovative idea to aide in the Canadian market!
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So, what do you think? Has anyone used any of these sites before? Leave a comment with your experience, or tweet me your thoughts at @AshleyMcKernan!
NOTE: All photos courtesy of their own respective websites.