Passion for fashion

Shopping experiences, habits, processes and generally anything related to the fashion industry are difficult to keep up with as it is constantly evolving. As a result of COVID-19, the world of fashion has not only come to a standstill, but has now prevailed as largely internet-driven. With such a dramatic shift increasing by the day, customers not only want variety of styles, but also an inspiring and personalized digital experience that makes shopping for clothes easy, fun and social. Israeli startups are offering new remedies and tapping into old habits to combat sustainability and accessibility issues to preserve this trendy environment. The companies listed below have created products that work in harmony with the plethora of issues stemming from the fashion industry—correct sizing, retailer-consumer relationships, access to merchandise, and distribution options.

ZeekIt

Understanding the fit and how an item will actually look on you has always been the most prominent issue when shopping online. Trying to replicate the usual in-store methods we have with the ability to try on clothes is now hitting the fashion industry with far worse effects in the post-pandemic era. Tapping into their extensive military background in real-time technology development, Israeli fashion hub ZeekIt has found the perfect medicine for the fashion world. The company has developed the first dynamic virtual fitting room taking body measurements, fit and garment fabric to produce the most accurate fashion description for its users/customers. The system has two functions: a digital designer that allows brands to style clothing for social media marketing and personalized options, and a model customization platform where ZeekIt users can filter through countless models to find the one that best represents themselves. Zeekit uses its patented technology to map a person’s image into thousands of segments giving them this easy and fun personalized digital experience.

ZeekIt was founded in 2014 by Yael Vizel (CEO), Alon Kristalm (CTO) and Nir Appleboim (VP of R&D), where the trio worked for seven years to revolutionize the fashion industry. In May 2021 ZeekIt was acquired by Walmart in hopes of delivering their already successful immersive, personalized experience to Walmart’s diverse customer base. Prior to the acquisition, ZeekIt had raised $9 million from Angel Investors. ZeekI has office locations in Tel Aviv and New York.

Virtuality. fashion

Metaverse is the “new commodity”. In the wake of COVID-19, metaverses have come to dominate as this naturally visual and social space that is quite easy to use, yet brands and retailers are struggling to catch up. Metaverses are gaining serious traction, which is now prompting those in the fashion industry to initiate digital programs that focus on growing their content verticals. Israeli startup virtuality moda has developed an online fashion design app that seamlessly integrates 3D prototyping into the product development process. Brands and retailers don’t have to change the way they operate, nor do they have to buy expensive apparel design software. The company’s system can transform any high-resolution 3D fashion simulation in hours, which dramatically shortens the product development cycle and provides benefits not only to brands/retailers, but also to their customers.

Amnon Shalev (CEO) founded Virtuality.fashion in 2015.

Donde Search

Fashion industry experts have coined the term “shopstration” to describe the exasperation felt exclusively by shoppers who don’t have the time or patience to browse through so many products when shopping online. For 27% of users who shop online, there aren’t enough tools or proper methods that can be used to make this virtual experience smooth and successful. Israeli startup Donde Search has developed technology using computer vision to analyze hundreds of millions of products across the web, which are then divided into groups based on visual similarities and dissimilarities (ie texture, shape, style.) While the user selects attributes related to that particular item (like a mid-length dress), the algorithm starts narrowing down the dresses in the store’s inventory one by one, just like you would in a store. Donde Search’s Saas platform is providing revolutionary help to e-commerce sites in that they can now mimic the way their customers think about products, as well as shorten the time to purchase and completely improve the user experience.

Donde Search was founded in 2014 by Liat Zakay (CEO) and Shai Katzir (former CTO). The company had raised $6.5 million in investments from UpWest, AfterDox, Matrix Partners, Waze, Mobileye, AliExpress and Google. In November 2021, Donde Search was acquired by Shopify to enhance its retail expertise and gain more traction worldwide. The company is located in Tel Aviv and New York with a total of 16 employees.

MySize

Very few fashion industry software platforms are able to compensate both the consumer and the retailer when it comes to sizing methods. Since the existence of online shopping, consumers are unable to accurately gauge how their chosen item will fit them, but still purchase the item regardless. In most cases, the consumer returns the item because it doesn’t fit, leaving the seller with a huge mess; this is a vicious circle in the fashion industry. Fortunately, however, Israeli startup MySize has developed a unique, patented, sensor-based measurement technology that captures and calculates a consumer’s exact measurements. MySizeID provides SDK (software development kit) integration for a store’s product page to display personal size recommendations for shoppers, while simultaneously increasing sales and reducing return costs for retailers. Additionally, FirstLook SmartMirror is MySize’s interactive, mirror-like touchscreen that provides brands with customer enhancements related to the online shopping experience. With FirstLook SmartMirror, shoppers can also scan a barcode in-store and receive a size recommendation for the specific clothing item, via their MySizeID profile.

MySize is different from its competitors in that the company does not ask shoppers for their size, but instead shows them their size. MySize Technology has pioneered cost-efficient, business-enhancing and customer-reliable systems for the fashion industry. The company was founded in 2014 by Ronen Luzon (CEO) and went public two years later through the NASDAQ stock exchange. MySize has raised $18.91 million so far from a bunch of different funding rounds. The company is located in Lod, Israel.

Spotango

Now in this post-pandemic era, smaller businesses are going in two directions: success or failure. This harsh reality is disrupting traditional business platforms and development processes as the elements of sustainability are dramatically altered. Israeli innovation has once again prevailed as a saving grace though with the new startup Spotango. Spotango has developed a data-driven marketplace that connects brands with relevant outlets through its STATION solution. With Spotango STATION, brands and retailers will finally have a place to sell products with the highest retail standards and become part of this global community for online sales improvements. The platform matches brands with retailers that are relevant to them and their products to create this interconnected world of augmented retail. STATION is similar to pop-up store methods in that brands can reserve these spaces for commercial and campaign initiatives according to their needs, budget and location.

Spotango was founded in 2018 by Daniel Shoshani (CEO) and Bashan Gdalyahu (CMO). Over the past four years, more than 600 brands have launched programs and initiatives on STATION’s Spotango. From young and daring designers to well-known global brands from the fashion and lifestyle industries are using STATION to achieve new industry trends. Some of these brands include H&M, Billabong, Kiehls, Wrangler and FjallRaven. Spotango is based in Tel Aviv and has established STATION locations in Dizengoff, Azrieli Mall, Shenkin, Jaffa Flea Market, Budapest and DCITY (Arugot).

Go ahead

There is a serious disconnect between retailers and the goods they sell. Most retailers feel like they are blind to the entire value chain, as they only get partial data on what is happening to their goods in real time. Without this vital information, retailers cannot match the right item with the right customer, nor simultaneously deliver the exceptional experience customers expect. Israeli startup Nexite has blended the physical and digital channels of the fashion industry to deliver the first omnichannel experience, better known as Connected Merchandise. Nexite Technologies has created the NanoBT which operates completely without batteries providing a continuous stream of real-time data derived from the goods themselves. NanoBT is the first long-range communication technology that requires no manual scanning, guessing, or anything. The connected goods platform is integrated into NanoBT’s infrastructure to provide automatic, immediate and necessary information to improve the customer and retailer experience.

Nexite was founded in 2017 by brothers Anat (CEO) and Lior Shakedd (CTO). The two founded Nexite on the premise that the company would automatically deliver real-time insights and new digital capabilities that are pure retail fantasy. Over the years, the company has raised $67 million with the help of Pitango Venture Capital, Saban Ventures, Battery Ventures, Vertex Ventures Israel and Intel Capital. Nexite is located in Ramat Gan, Israel and is geographically marketing to the US and other European countries.

Written by Leah Frey