Have you ever had a stroke of fashion genius and wished you could share it with the world? Maybe you have dreamt of being a celebrity stylist, interior designer, or magazine editor? The digital era allows us to play all these roles from home, no prior experience necessary. Introducing Polyvore – hailed by Business Insider as “a preeminent destination for online style discovery.” It’s currently the world’s largest online fashion community and constantly growing. If you’ve ever thought you had an eye for style, you should take a closer look at Polyvore.
The premise
According to the company’s website, you can begin enjoying its many features in just 3 steps: “Clip, Style, Share.” They provide a simple way to instantly experience the thrills of putting together your own fashion magazine, boutique, or dream closet (hence their exploding popularity within the last five years). While it caters specifically to those with a passion for style, the website’s founders were clever enough to broaden their range of appeal. You can also create and share your ideas for art, fashion, or even interior design. The possibilities are only as limited as your imagination…or your computer battery.
Some impressive statistics
As if you needed any more reasons to check out Polyvore, the site garnered some serious nods from well-respected institutions. Among them, Time Magazine named it one of the 50 Best Websites of 2011. Gigaom.com reports that they are backed by $8.2 million in venture capital and have received an impressive amount of funding ($22.1 million according to crunchbase.com).
What you can expect
The site layout is rather simple. You can ask your most pressing fashion questions (“Are leather jackets in season?”); shop by brand, trend, or apparel category across the entire World Wide Web of fashion; and, of course, inspire and be inspired by awesome style collages. If you’re afraid to dive in head first, they even have sample templates and clothing articles for you to mess around with. All in all, it appears Polyvore’s creators had the desires of the consumers in mind and a brilliant idea for re-energizing fashion.
References:
Businessinsider.com (http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/polyvore),
Polyvore.com (http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/about),
Time.com (http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2087815,…), Crunchbase.com (http://www.crunchbase.com/company/polyvore)
Gigaom.com (http://gigaom.com/2011/06/09/polyvore-profitable/)
Photo Sources:
Polvore.com (http://akwww.polyvorecdn.com/rsrc/img/logos/logo_noborder_black_trans_24…, http://www.polyvore.com/spring_is_in_air/set?id=45408997)