Sense Of Fashion entered into my weekly site rotation after founder Daria Shulay and I were both fashion marketing panelists at WWD Magic back in August. Then I kept going back -  first because of aesthetics, second because of their great content and third, when Daria Shulay worked with a shoe designer I was interested in to reduce the international shipping price so that I could reconcile justify a three figure purchase on a pair of metallic blue woven leather booties. Swoon.  I was thrilled when Sense of Fashion came on as a PR Couture advertiser.

Now in another smart move (ha!), Sense of Fashion has partnered with We The People Fashion Collective to launch a three-day online and offline pop-up event celebrating globally emerging fashion designers – AMYCLAIRE, Darios, micamade, Liat Ginzburg, Dominic Louis and Inbal Gvili.

It’s a rare occurrence for an online shopping marketplace like SOF (or Etsy, Shopflick etc) to take the goods offline and I wanted to learn more about the idea behind the event. In the midst of planning, Daria took the time to share a bit more about the upcoming event with us:

How does SOF support independent designers? Why should someone shop at SOF?

Sense of Fashion enables designers to reach shoppers beyond the confines of their studio. It’s like opening a shop at a very high foot traffic location with miraculously low rent. Well, actually, there is really no rent, because we do not charge listing fee or set up fee. And we promote our designers with advertising, marketing and partnerships such as this one with We Love People.

For shoppers, [the pop up] is a place to find unique designs from all over the world and wear something that is not mass marketed or mass produced. We cater to individual taste, not that f the chain store buyer, and we do so at great prices and with great ease.

What is the goal of the event?

Primarily, we want to connect the NYC Fashion Community with Sense Of Fashion. We are looking to build awareness of Sense of Fashion designers in New York and to bring New York online to the Sense of Fashion community. We’re doing this by creating the pop up both online and offline.

What inspired you to give your online marketplace a physical location?

We love linking online and offline.

While Sense of Fashion the site is about creating an online space for fashion businesses, we always want to think about how we can create new opportunities for our designers. As a global shopping site, we love introducing foreign designers to the NYC scene.

How did the partnership with We Love People come about?

Sense of Fashion and We the People are very close in spirit – we both focus on providing designers a place to sell and grow in a collaborative environment. Our aesthetics are also quite similar and the partnership emerged soon meeting Vera, We The People’s visionary founder.

What criteria did you use to choose which designers to include in the pop up event?

It was incredibly tough because there are so many talented designers on Sense of Fashion. In choosing the designers, focused on apparel and accessories designers that had the creativity and “wow” factor, while also being experienced, with business and product savvy. We also chose designers we feel are just on the cusp of being more widely recognized. We feel confident that the designer’s selected are representative both of Sense of Fashion and We the People’s fashion philosophy.

How are you promoting the event?

We’re sending out invites to our mailings lists, blogger outreach, utilizing social media sites such as Facebook, Meetup, Twitter and our own website; making sure everyone who needs to know does know.

Are any of the designers chosen traveling a great distance?

Three of the designers are rom Israel. Liat Ginzburg is already carried by leading Paris boutiques and Darios was discovered on Sense of Fashion and is now carried by Beyond the Valley in London (the “Opening Ceremony” of the UK). This is a first for them in a NY boutique. Mica Made is all the way from Germany. AMYCLAIRE and Dominic Louis are two of the most promising New Yorkers we know.

Why should online boutiques consider offline events?

It’s a very good way to introduce develop a new customer base for the merchandise you carry online. Sometimes, seeing is believing, by creating a tangible experience, people can fall in love with something. So put it in the right context and give people a chance to touch it, try it on, buy it and that way create a relationship based on fun and trust. It’s a bit like a first date.

What are three key learnings you now have as a result of planning this event?

Let me get back to you after it’s over Because so far, it’s just been fun and excitement; we’re excited, Vera NG – founder of We the People is excited, the designers are excited, so it’s all just straight forward fun so far. One thing I can share, is that coordination is key, you have to time things correctly and leverage the best assets in your network to get things done.

Event Details:

PR Couture will make an appearance at the launch party on November 11 so look for more coverage! If you are lucky enough to by in NYC, please stop by and support indie design! The pop-up cocktail reception is November 11^th, 2010 from 6-9pm at the We The People Store located at 156 Stanton St, New York, NY 10002. The event continues November 12^th, 13^th, and 14^th from 12pm-8pm each day.