These 15 Companies Are Bringing Tech to Fashion With these innovations in place, shopping for clothes online may not be daunting anymore.
By Rose Leadem
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With the rise of ecommerce, many of us now do the majority of our shopping from the comfort of our homes. But buying clothes online can be daunting. Startups utilizing emerging technologies are trying to change that, such as a company that uses 3-D imaging to let you "try" on clothes before you buy to one that uses a chatbot to personal shop for you.
This year marks Decoded Fashion's fifth annual New York Summit -- a two-day event where leaders, innovators and upcoming designers come together to discuss the most disruptive and innovative technologies shaking up the fashion and beauty worlds. The summit covers a variety of tech topics such as new in-store tech experiences, augmented reality and projection mapping.
The event also features a competition, "The FROW," where tech startups looking to change the future of fashion and beauty pitch a panel of professional judges and executives from companies such as Coach, Equinox, Parsons School of Design, Google, Simon Venture Group and more. Think of it like the Shark Tank of fashion and beauty.
We've taken a peek at these startups looking to change the face of fashion, retail and beauty. Check out the 15 companies here.
Related: The Future Of Fashion As We See It
Wide Eyes Technology
Wide Eyes Technology is a visual search company focused on the fashion industry. The startup detects and finds complete outfits or items from images, videos and shows for customers to purchase in order to increase engagement and ecommerce sales.VRex
VRex looks to shake up the offline shopping experience through its augmented reality photo app, allowing customers to post and unlock hidden AR photo messages inside brick-and-mortar shops.
EyeFitU
Sometimes shopping online -- filtering through sizes, styles and colors -- can be tedious. EyeFitU may have a potential solution. It offers consumers one platform where they can shop for their size across all brands.
Perfitly
Online shopping can be a gamble -- because you never get to actually try a product on, you never know if it will fit. Perfitly uses 3-D visualization so shoppers can see how a garment will fit and look on their bodies before buying.
Hanger.io
It's easy to forget about an old item in your closet, and it's a waste of money to buy clothes that you could borrow from a friend. Hanger.io is a styling app that allows users to create outfits and share clothes with friends and family by connecting their closets.
Sur3D
Sur3D empowers anyone to bring their creative fashion ideas to life. Using 3-D printing technology, customers can print their own fashion accessories.Fitcode
Sometimes what you purchase online is not what you get in the mail. Fitcode hopes to change that. The fashion data company helps you pick the best brands and denim types for your body by having you take a short quiz. Fitcode then lets you browse, filter and shop personalized denim recommendations to help you find your perfect pair of jeans.
Return Logic
Return Logic is an analytics platform that seeks to minimize the amount of returns a company receives by identifying defects and causes of returns.REIFY
REIFY says it offers the first augmented reality platform with custom strategies, marketing tools and mobile apps for fashion companies and retailers.fynd.me
Fynd.me claims to be the first fashion search engine and chatbot that acts like a personal shopper. By understanding consumer preferences and conversing with them, fynd.me aims to make educated suggestions to make online shopping easier.Trendalytics
Trendalytics is an online platform to help brands and retailers understand what customers want and what fashion trends they are talking about by monitoring online signals and uncovering data from social media and searches.Appalatch
Appalatch claims that every garment it produces is made of the highest quality yarn. The company uses a 3-D knitting machine to create its products. Appalatch only produces items that are ordered to reduce waste and inventory costs.Fashwell
Scrolling through Facebook and notice an outfit that you like and wish you owned? Fashwell uses deep learning technology to recognize products on the web and social media and connects you to online stores where you can purchase those products.
Staffly
Staffly is a technology-enabled staffing service that helps fashion companies of all sizes recruit, screen and hire prospective employees.Troupe
Dream of making your own jewelry? With Troupe, customers can design jewelry by connecting with artisans and using 3-D printing.