Pastimes of joy are when you and a female friend go shopping, she selects the garment she wants, walks into the dressing, later comes out and asks the famous question, “How do I look?” or the second famous question, “So, what do you think?”
You smile and begin to explain to her why the fashion item looks really great on her or not.
If you have done that, in some ways you could be a Stitch Fix Stylist.
At their Facebook page they explain their concept, “Stitch Fix has re-invented shopping, the way women really want to shop. Keep your wardrobe up-to-date with no hassle. You give us your size and style preferences, and your stylist sends you a selection of 5 items picked just for you. Try everything on at home, and only pay for what you want to keep!”
Yes your taste in fashion is admirable but Stitch Fix adds the up to date factor that keeps your gal pal in step with the times.
Perhaps ahead of it.
Stitch Fix is an online subscription and personal shopping service head quartered in San Francisco.
Founded in 2011, Stitch Fix went public in 2017.
As of November 2017, immediately after the initial offering, Stitch Fix was valued at $1.6 billion and as of February 2018, the company was valued at $2 billion.
Stitch Fix was founded in 2011 by former J.Crew buyer Erin Morrison Flynn and by Katrina Lake and was initially run out of Lake's apartment in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Ms. Lake came up with the idea while at Harvard Business School. The company began by catering only to women, but it has subsequently expanded to men's clothing, plus sizes, maternity wear, and kids.
The good news is that in July 2016, the company ended its fiscal year with recorded sales of $730 million, and in May 2017, the company had raised $42 million from outside investors.
As of May 2018, they had 5,800 employees including 3,000 stylists and 75 data scientists.
In November of 2017 the company went public on NASDAQ. It was the first female led company to launch an IPO in over a year.
We love their overall concept and novel idea.
grapplingstars.com femcompetitor.com writer, Stitch Fix photo credit
To make sure that we have their innovative concept down we’ll turn our attention to usatoday.com. They explain the basics. “You sign up online, answer questions about your size, style, shape, budget and lifestyle, and pay a $20 styling fee for Stitch Fix. Those fees are applied as credit toward anything you end up buying from your box.”
There is free shipping both ways and a 25% discount if you buy all 5 items (subject to change).
Intriguing.
Why not just go down to your local retailer and just do this yourself?
Many reasons ranging from time constraints to travel costs and the hassle of fighting traffic. Isn’t the main reason behind online shopping is to view a wide variety of products at the best prices from the comfort of your home?
Convenience is queen and king.
Besides, with Stitch Fix you benefit from the creativity of professional stylists who analyze your needs and give you their suggestions.
Yes, a real live stylist reviews everything you described and tries to figure out what will work best for you. What shows up at your residence hopefully is a nice surprise and an improvement over what you would have done yourself.
Time to understand the concepts from Stitch Fix’s unique perspective.
At stitchfix.com they enlighten by speaking about what they stand for. “It’s our mission to change the way people find clothes they love by combining technology with the personal touch of seasoned style experts. The Stitch Fix experience is not merely curated—it’s truly personalized to you. We’re here to help you save time, look great and evolve your personal style over time.”
Makes perfect sense. About those stylists. Please tell us more.
They oblige. “We’re proud to work with thousands of passionate Stylists from all over the U.S. They’re trendsetters and fashion experts who are motivated to learn about your style and evolving needs, in order to find the perfect pieces for you. Your Style Profile answers and continued feedback powers the engine of the Stitch Fix experience.”
grapplingstars.com femcompetitor.com writer, Stitch Fix photo credit
The best observations should come from customers who tried the products. Here are two reviews found at trustpilot.com:
- “A huge benefit of using Stitch Fix is that you’ll have a professional stylist helping you set up the looks you want. The ultimate choice is still yours of course, but isn’t it nice to have a set of carefully-selected items laid out for you to choose from – tailored specifically to your tastes, needs, and budget!
Because the Stitch Fix stylists shop for clothing full time, and due in part to the discounts Stitch Fix can get from wholesalers and retailers because they spend so much each month, Stitch Fix can find and give you great deals.”
- “I have been with stitch fix for over 3 years now. My stylist, Maggie, is an absolute doll and pays close attention to the messages I leave. While I've had to skip fixes several times over the years, and frequently had to send back the entire box just because of finances, I always enjoy receiving my shipments.
What really makes this company stand out to me personally is there compassion. My older brother passed away last month, a few days before my fix arrived. When my check out date arrived I hadn't even gotten to open the box yet so emailed the company requesting an extended check out date and explained why. They immediately extended my check out date and left the offer open to extend it a second time if needed. Then about two weeks later my husband messaged me at work and told me I'd received flowers in the mail. When I got home and opened them, they were from stitch fix with a card saying the staff there is continuing to keep my family in their thoughts and prayers.”
What a nice recommendation.
What will they think of next? Probably how to stay miles in sales ahead of the imitators.
That won’t be easy.
If imitation is the highest form of flattery then innovation leads to imitation.
The popularity of the company's box and try-before-you-buy services has sparked a host of imitations and competing products. One of them is Amazon's apparel box service and Prime Wardrobe.
Only a concept less than a decade ago in 2011, Stitch Fix has thrived so much that they now find themselves in the land of the e-commerce giants.
That is a giant compliment.
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https://www.facebook.com/pg/stitchfix/about/?ref=page_internal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stitch_Fix
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/stitchfix.com
https://www.retaildive.com/news/disruptor-of-the-year-katrina-lake/541897/
