SilkFred, Luxury Retail Platform for Emerging Fashion Labels

06.29.2012 | Fashion Marketing + PR, Sales

Fashion Marketing + PR   Sales

Not too long ago, I received a sassy (in the good way) email from a go-getter named Emma Watkinson, introducing herself, complimenting our work here at StartUp FASHION, and sharing the mission behind her work SilkFred.com, an online luxury retail platform focused on emerging fashion designers.

SilkFred emerging fashion retail platform

SilkFred.com is a fashion technology start-up that puts emerging designers and their businesses at the heart of their mission. The people behind the platform scout out top talent and provide them with an online retail space (with some cool tech thrown in) and work one to one with them to launch their brand online.

Though online is the key for designers to reach a wider audience, SilkFred also provides a great deal of offline support. According to Watkinson, “we started with one goal in mind – to provide designers with the tools & resources to grow their business.” Sounds a lot like the StartUp FASHION mission, so naturally, we were intrigued.

SilkFred launched  in December of 2011 and has spent the last couple of months refining the product. They’ve also recently started partnering with luxury boutiques & stockists and placing their designers’ stock alongside high profile brands.

Having received a follow up email from the driven and determined Watkinson, gently inquiring as to why I haven’t shared this great resource with our community, I learned that she and her team are up to some cool new tricks.  Currently in Hong Kong, the team is presenting a pop up store with a capsule collection of some of the platform’s strongest collections. Creating offline opportunities for designers whilst building technology to support their online growth is allowing SilkFred to gain good momentum.

I was glad to hear from her again and also really intrigued by the work they’re doing.  I look forward to watching where SilkFred is headed and the mark they plan to make on the world of independent fashion.

Nicole Giordano

Nicole is the founder of StartUp FASHION, an online resource and community supporting for independent designers around the world with building their businesses. A deep love for the craft of fashion paired with an adamant belief that success is defined by the individual, led her to found StartUp FASHION, where she helps independent designers and makers screw the traditional fashion business rules, create their own paths, and build businesses they truly love. More than anything else, she’s in the business of encouragement and works every day to remind makers and designers that they have something special to offer the world and that they can, in fact, do this thing!

3 comments
  1. Consortium Internet

    We came across your post, we are an incubator primarily for fashion and beauty using an architecture designed by multi-national consultants to compete against companies such as Net-A-Porter, Saks, Selfridges & Asos. As part of the complete solution we use a version for startups called SIA-Nano designed for one person retailers, designers and boutiques which is derived from the full SIA platform. Currently none of the architectures are publicly available however we welcome discussions with fashion startups.

  2. Deborah Moser

    I am an emerging designer specializing in women’s leather clothing. I was so happy to see that you have a platform for emerging designers, and I would love to know how to participate in your program.
    Would you please send an email to me with any and all pertinent information? I would really appreciate it.
    Thank you.
    Deborah Moser

    • Nicole Giordano

      Hi Deborah,

      Thanks for your comment! We’re so glad you’re a fan of Silk Fred. In order to participate in their program, you’ll have to contact them directly, as StartUp FASHION isn’t associated with them in any way.

      Thanks!

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