Designers on demand available at Macy’s
An innovative company incubated in the fashion tech lab Macy’s helped launched has struck a deal that will expose its roster of designers to the department store retailers’ mass market audience.
Macy’s and online fashion tech start-up company Nineteenth Amendment formed an exclusive partnership that looks to be a win for both organizations. The deal will expose Nineteenth Amendment’s stable of up-and-coming designers to Macy’s Millennial shoppers who will have the opportunity to purchase garments made on demand in the USA from more than 300 designers worldwide. This alliance is the result of Macy’s mentoring of the fashion tech start-up as part of the inaugural New York Fashion Tech Lab that Macy’s and others helped launch in 2014.
Nineteenth Amendment employs a unique business model whereby it curates a collection of vetted designers from around the globe and presents their collections in 19-day pre-sales on nineteenthamendment.com. Once the collections are sold, they are put into production allowing designers to directly sell their pieces to individual shoppers, who will receive a custom-made garment, produced in a limited quantity and made in the USA, leaving no excess inventory.
“What Nineteenth Amendment provides to independent designers is a risk-free way to come to market,” said Terry Lundgren, Macy’s chairman and CEO. “This innovative concept gives customers a made-to-order product and a great shopping experience, while in turn helping new fashion talent find and build an audience, piece by piece. We’re excited to give Macys.com customers the opportunity to connect with the design stars of tomorrow while they shop for unique limited-edition apparel.”
Macy’s and Nineteenth Amendment began working together as part of the NY Fashion Tech Lab, a business of fashion accelerator that is a result of a collaboration between the Partnership Fund for New York City, Springboard Enterprises and major fashion retailers, including Macy’s. The focus of the Lab is to target early stage companies that have developed innovations at the intersection of fashion, retail and technology. Macy’s and Nineteenth Amendment were both participants in the first class of the Lab during the summer of 2014. Macy’s executives chose to mentor the Nineteenth Amendment team for three months and this collaboration resulted in a relationship that will broaden the reach of Macy’s online store into the emerging designer landscape.
“Our mission at Nineteenth Amendment is to launch the next massive designer by giving independent talent around the world an inventory-less business model built for the digital age, while helping to grow U.S. manufacturing and giving shoppers a voice in the future of fashion,” according to Nineteenth Amendment co-founders Amanda Curtis and Gemma Sole. “This collaboration is a testament to Macy’s commitment to pushing fashion forward while giving macys.com customers the opportunity to discover and support independent designers from around the world.”