Virtual wardrobe app Vera claims 9,000 active users
In February 2022, Vera, a start-up and virtual wardrobe app that recommends three outfits a day to its users, completed an €8 million funding round with the Perpetua Investment Group. Eight months after this first funding round, Vera is claiming 9,000 active users and 13,000 items, the most by a single member being the 591 items featured in one member’s virtual wardrobe.
Vera enables its users to take pictures of their wardrobe items, and the AI-powered app is then able to suggest outfits according to the weather. Despite reporting highly promising figures, the start-up is not yet profitable, but for Nada Bargachi, Vera’s co-founder, this isn't a priority.
“In these early days, we still have to refine our algorithms, work on customer acquisition and traffic, and revenue will come later,” said Bargachi, who underlined that Vera is a “tech gem.”
One that, in the near future, is likely to allow users to tap new services. “We’re thinking about the second-hand sector. For example, we could identify garments that have not been worn for more than 18 months, and suggest to our customers they resell them to other users who might need them and live nearby, in order to limit their carbon footprint,” said Bargachi, who has notably worked at New Look and the Eram group.
However, partnerships with fashion labels or retailers are not yet envisaged, even if Bargachi said Vera has been approached. “I created Vera precisely because we only use about 30% of our wardrobe, and at the same time the apparel industry is the second most polluting industry in the world,” said Bargachi, stating that any partnership with a label should be sensible, and not lead to new manufacturing output.
Copyright © 2023 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
