Photographed by Claire Pepper.
Photo: Courtesy of Clothes Horse. Attention, online shoppers: Clothes Horse, a tool that helps customers find the correct size, is about to graduate from the New York Fashion Tech Lab, “an accelerator that pairs fashion tech companies with industry experts,” according to Co.Design. Ainsley O’Connell reports “inconsistent sizing [costs] the fashion industry over $3 billion per year,” but Clothes Horse is making a dent, decreasing returns by 9.5% and bumping up sales by 8%.
Clothes Horse draws from a database that contains measurement info for more than 600 labels (like Anthropologie and Nicole Miller), and uses a short survey to recommend a size. Each garment’s fit is also taken into consideration. “We kept hearing about not just which size to get, but how is it going to fit me,” CEO and co-founder David Whittemore told Co.Design. “Now, if it’s a loose skirt, we’re going to say that. We discovered that that’s really what gives the shopper the confidence to move forward.”
For now, Clothes Horse is only compatible with certain item pages (such as Miller’s Karina Rusty Rose Dress or J.Lindeberg’s Damien Dressed Blue denim; click on “What Size Am I?”). However, Whittemore believes, “we’re at an inflection point,” where bigger brands are willing to test the technology. As are we, specifically during our middle-of-the-night buying sprees. (Co.Design)