Founded in 2007, Polyvore is one of the more established companies in the fashion and tech space. The platform where users build inspirational ‘sets’ of products and images they have ‘clipped’ from across the web now has over 44 million sets. To date Polyvore has mostly been focused on fashion but recently added a beauty category after noticing a large amount of users included them in sets. Look forward to a category dedicated to Going forward, there will also be a larger focus on editorial.
Polyvore CEO and co-founder, Jess Lee (watch SFFT’s interview with Jess from Fashtech Insight) says that the proliferation of new start-ups in the space is “validation that the space has heated up” and a proof-point that “fashion is becoming more and more accessible.” The Polyvore team noted that bloggers were highly influential and developed partnerships with influencers, making an ongoing effort to interact with their top members on a regular basis.
“We care very deeply about our community,” notes co-founder Pasha Sadri. Polyvore sends personalized gifts to their megafans and even hosted an event they called Polyvore Live during Fashion Week in New York. Top users were flown in from all around the world for a live fashion show at a swanky venue featuring four up-and-coming designers from FIT and received individualized gift bags. “Getting your fans to talk about you and have conversations with them” is “incredibly important” says Lee.
Creative partnerships with major brands is another main focus for Polyvore. Among others, they have joined forces with Piperlime, the Washington Post, Tory Burch, and Rebekkah Minkoff. Minkoff used the Polyvore community to crowd source a design for a piece that ultimately walked the runway during fashion week.
Rebecca Minkoff & Polyvore Designed Bag. Image courtesy of Polyvore
“Many take us for an e-commerce site” said Sadri but added, “really, we are a tech company in fashion.” When I asked if there was anything they wanted people to know, everyone on the call said in unison, “We’re hiring!”
