It goes without saying that apps like Style.com, Hootsuite, Instagram and Pinterest are the go-to apps for every well-heeled fashion publicist. However, here are five up-and-coming apps that are also enhancing the fashion week experience for both PR insiders and the fashion-obsessed.
Founded by Harvard grads, Snapette enables fashion-savvy women to discover and share in-store products by location. The app was conceptualized when co-founder, Jinhee Ahn Kim, set out to find must-have pieces in Notting Hill but was at a loss as for where to start. However, when she was ready for lunch, her iPhone enabled her to seamlessly discover places to eat on Yelp and Foodspotting. Fusing these concepts for fashion, Snapette was born.
“The future of shopping and commerce is all about discovery rather than search. We are building Snapette from the ground up to lead this movement,” says co-founder Sarah Paiji.
Snapette is the first mobile app that lets fashion-conscious users browse and snap photos (with Instagram-like filters) of products near their current location, allowing them to easily see or share what shoes, bags and accessories are in nearby stores right now. Users can also browse categories such as “Hot” and “New” or vote and comment on their favorite snaps – this essentially empowers users to act as the trend expert. Moreover, with embedded details like brand, price and store, users can virtually window-shop and determine where to go for the affordable bold, cross-body bag trend or whether to splurge on the irresistible color-blocked Prada. Better yet, Snapette provides feeds from featured boutiques as well as fashion experts. The app also adds value to retailers, as the location-based features drive foot traffic to physical stores. By clicking on the embedded map, users can find out exactly where any store is located.
For fashion week, Snapette paired up with Rebecca Minkoff to bring one lucky fashionista to Mercedes Benz Fashion Week to enjoy a first look at Rebecca Minkoff’s amazing new Fall 2012 collection. The winner also had the pleasure of being in the company of New York’s most fashionable crowd at Rebecca Minkoff’s Fall 2012 Show after party, complete with a personalized Snapette photo booth.
Taking fashion photo-sharing concept local, Luster emerged in the mobile app marketplace for shopaholics who want to discover, shop, and share local boutiques. Luster joins the burgeoning community of local fashionistas who enjoy scouring their city for the trendiest fashion finds. Luster enables users to geo-tag cool clothes they spot and share them with fellow shopping enthusiasts. Luster shows what’s trending in a specific fashion community and provides a map of a user’s proximity to the geo-tagged items in-store. Globetrotter and co-founder Lina Chong designed the app specifically for fashion lovers around the world who are always on the go. Luster helps users find out the local trends wherever they are in the world.
In addition to providing a gallery within the app of what to wear for fashion week, Luster hosted their very own Fashion Week Giveaway, where users could snap a photo of the fashion week look they’re lusting over for a chance to win $1,000 worth of the items in the shot.
Pose takes the photo-sharing element and incorporates the social shopping trend that has moved from the web to mobile apps. Pose is poised to help users shop and inspire fellow users with suggestions and recommendations. Pose is meant to enhance the user’s in-store shopping experience by allowing them to take photos of merchandise, record pricing and location information.
Pose provides continuously updated style feeds with popular items, the latest posted, and editorially selected feeds featuring “the finds of a handpicked group of exceedingly stylish shoppers.”
To kick off fashion week, Pose hosted an intimate brunch along with LA-based start-up Beachmint and the Poser community. During Fashion Week, the Pose app was optimized to feed some of the best fashion week looks. Pose also attracts fashion influencers like model Coco Rocha, blogger Sara Zucker and the Zoe Report who utilized Pose to showcase behind-the-scene looks along with daily fashion week looks. In fact, DKNY PR Girl listed Pose one of her top apps during the IFB Conference.
We caught up with Alisa Gould-Simon, Director of Marketing and Communications at Pose, to find out what trends she was spotting on Pose.
“Some of the most popular looks for fashion week have been layered ensembles with a touch of flair by way of fur, neon or metallic. We’ve seen lots of booties on the ground…and plenty of chic tailored jackets. Collars buttoned all the way up and accented with statement necklaces have also been a popular trend.” Alisa, however, opted for “a dash of prints, quite a few cut-outs and the Alexa Chung pony hair leopard booties for Madewell.”
Beyond photo sharing, there are two major apps geared to fashion’s insiders created by Fashion GPS. Its digital tools and newest invite-only Radar by FGPS app are widely used by fashion PR powerhouses Paul Wilmot, HLGroup, KCD and LaForce and Stevens along with top-tier brands like Bismark Phillips, GUCCI, Dior and Lanvin.
Fashion GPS operates digital systems and two companion apps. The GPS Events and Samples systems act as a “PR assistant” with pre-show functions such as inventory management, building invitation lists, sending out evites, managing RSVPS, assigning seats, creating virtual tickets for attendees, generating reports of who attended the event and keeping up with editors’ and buyers’ whereabouts.
The Fashion GPS iPad app syncs with the GPS events component of the software, which allows insiders to handle check-in and essentially sync everything for the attendance report. However, this app is not downloaded through the app store but licensed through Fashion GPS directly.
The consumer facing web and iPhone app is Radar by FGPS, which hosts a member only community and allows fashion editors, bloggers and attendees to have all their show information at their fingertips, including show times, calendar views, locations via an interactive map, seating assignments and personal QR codes that enables entrance into the show.
This season, Fashion GPS attracted over 7000 downloads via iTunes on the eve of fashion week – evidence that the industry was ready for this next digital step. With fashion week continuing into London, Milan and Paris, the FGPS Radar will continue to multiply.
Also created for industry insiders, the MADE Fashion Week app launched this past season. MADE is a year-round, dynamic platform for connecting ascending talent in fashion, music, art and pop-culture with visionary brands to create new cultural platforms and communities. The app was specifically designed to be used in real-time at MADE’s shows at Milk Studios or via Livestream. Now in its sixth season, MADE FASHION WEEK continues to showcase outstanding design talent and harness the energy of New York’s creative communities.
Partnering with Sonic Notify, the app syncs with inaudible sound waves played during the show and automatically displays information about each look as models strut down the runway. Furthermore, users can make notes, tweet images and curate a custom look-book that can be emailed in real-time, enabling designers to instantly extend the reach of their designs beyond the runway. The MADE app also includes a show schedule, bios, contact and sales information for each MADE Designer. Viewers watching MADE shows over Livestream on MilkMade.com can also enjoy the same benefits and features, since Sonic Notify technology is triggered by soundless audio signals, will also send content of the app through the user’s home computer.
Happy downloading!
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