From IRL To URL: This Startup Is Changing The Personal Styling Experience For M’sians

Author’s blurb: I’m somebody who hates the method of buying garments. The thought of spending hours in a mall shopping by clothes I wouldn’t find yourself buying ultimately is why I solely purchase garments as-and-when I would like it, not one thing I do for leisure.

Gwen Delhumeau thinks that is the explanation why her on-line private styling service and trend tech startup, Ellegra, works over a subscription mannequin for trend.

Customers can order a Style Box at any time when and as typically as they need and have to, with no month-to-month dedication. 

“So we’re really there when customers need us, whether they want to regularly refresh their wardrobe or are looking for a new outfit for a special occasion. For many of our customers, they’re seeing this could be their new way of doing clothes shopping,” she informed Vulcan Post.

Fill In A Quiz To Try

On Ellegra, consumers will take a method quiz on their trend preferences and the platform’s algorithm and private stylists will generate a number of 5 objects in your Style Box.

Some questions embody exhibiting you a variety of various kinds for an merchandise of clothes, like a skirt, and asking you to choose people who you’d personally put on.

You may also let the Ellegra workforce know the way far out of your consolation zone you’re keen to go, to allow them to provide a few objects you might not have tried earlier than along with your ordinary type.

Once you’ve accomplished the quiz, you’ll pay an upfront styling charge of RM50 to cowl the prices of their private stylists. Your Style Box will then be delivered with 5 objects chosen particularly for you.

You have 3 days to strive in your alternatives and resolve which objects you’d wish to hold or ship again.

After deciding which objects you’re retaining, you’ll be able to head to the positioning’s checkout the place you’ll be despatched an bill for the saved objects. The identical card you’ve used to pay for the upfront styling charge might be charged 24 hours later.

When the entire course of is accomplished, clients can present suggestions on every field, which can assist Ellegra enhance its algorithm.

“The more data we get, the better our algorithms become. As a result, we’ve been successful in improving our keep rate (the number of items a customer keeps from their box) by 60% over the last few months alone,” Gwen shared.

But this buy-and-return mannequin made me surprise how they saved and managed the returned objects of their stock.

Gwen informed Vulcan Post that Ellegra doesn’t have one. Instead, they companion with manufacturers on a consignment foundation to supply all kinds of apparel for his or her clients.

So when clients return the clothes, Ellegra simply must ship them again throughout the agreed timeline in order that the companion manufacturers can put it again on their cabinets and discover it a brand new residence.

Born After Her Second Child

Gwen shared that the thought for Ellegra took place six months after giving beginning to her second baby. 

Unable to bounce again into her pre-baby physique as rapidly as she hoped, her sluggish weight reduction progress meant that she had to purchase new garments. 

Like me, Gwen herself isn’t a fan of lengthy purchasing runs in malls, so she turned to on-line purchasing and realised how tough it was to choose the best measurement, type, and match throughout manufacturers that may be flattering on her new physique.  

Even after the time-consuming and worrying expertise, she nonetheless ended up returning 70% of her orders.

“Given my background in digital, I couldn’t help but wonder, what if there was a personal styling buddy online that could help me when I needed it, without the need to spend an afternoon trekking a mall?” she questioned. 

“And what if I could tell it all my preferences and sizes, so it really knew me and could help me choose items I would not only like but which would also fit?”

Confident that she wasn’t the one one going through this downside and seeing that a super answer didn’t exist but, she used her experience from working at iflix in buying content material by data-backed suggestions to create Ellegra.

Right Place At The Right Time

In true startup spirit, Ellegra began out with a few beta checks. First with their mates, then with strangers from Facebook teams. 

The second take a look at came about in the midst of the primary MCO when becoming rooms have been closed and other people have been longing to buy however couldn’t. 

“So there was a bit of being in the right place at the right time. We were initially concerned this would be a temporary trend but our orders have increased ever since,” stated Gwen. 

Ellegra’s had 12,000 clients signal as much as their service since launching in Malaysia in June 2020. Many have been acquired by phrase of mouth and referrals.

They’ve additionally had returning clients who’ve ordered as much as 6 packing containers already, typically much more than as soon as a month.

Ellegra can be now getting calls for from potential clients from Sabah and Sarawak to develop their enterprise there, which they hope to take action sooner or later.

Gwen shared that they may finally faucet into offering styling providers for males and kids too, as she sees an enormous alternative in that market.

“Also, looking at other tech companies, Malaysia has been a fantastic launchpad to other countries in the region and we hope to emulate their success in bringing our service to the whole of Southeast Asia,” Gwen informed Vulcan Post.

Bottom line: I wouldn’t be a frequent buyer, however I can positively see myself utilizing their service if I ever want to buy a special day. I see it most becoming for after I’ll should search for formal or night put on, as these are two kinds that I have no idea the place to buy.

• You can study extra about Ellegra right here.
• You can examine different startups we’ve written about right here.

Featured Image Credit: Gwen Delhumeau, founder and CEO of Ellegra