Startup Model – Personal Styling for Men

The Model: A service where users (men) can get outfits which are styled specifically for them. The user has to fill in a questionnaire and a personal stylist curates a set of outfits which are then sent to the user. The user can try out the outfits, decide which ones to keep and he return the rest. All shipping and returns are free.

Startup Doing It: Outfittery (German startup)

What I Like:

Core Idea – Personal Styling is a great value add it saves customers of the time and hassle involved in shopping.

Great User Experience – The customer has to make no upfront commitment. If outfits are not to the taste of the customer, they can be returned.

Curation – Personal styling is all about curating the best set of outfits for a customer.

Control over Customer Experience – Since the startup has in house personal stylists, it more control over the customer’s experience and value the startup provides.

My Concerns:

Hiring Challenges – Since the startup keeps the stylists on its payroll, hiring will always be a challenge. When the startup expands into a new country, finding good stylists there would be difficult. Stylists would need to be local because of differences in tastes and preferences based on geography. Alternate models like outsourcing to vendors or creating a marketplace for stylists can also be looked at.