These days, there is more taking place at the intersection of fashion and tech than there ever has been. Of late, some of these synergies involve Google Glass. At the TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2013 hackathon today, Glashion made its debut, providing a way for Google Glass wearers and users to buy fashion items that they spot on the go.
Here’s how it works. Via the app (which can be downloaded to Glass now), Glashion allows you to snap a photo of a fashion item you see on a bypasser or in a store, and then the app queries the ShopStyle API for similar matches. You simply tell Glass when you see a product, “Ok glass, I want this!” and you’ll be matched.
The app will show you similar products (or the same one if it can find it), and you either tap to buy or swipe to see more products. If you tap, Glashion will send you an email with the link to the product on the retail site for purchase. You can also use the app to find a store nearby your location that has the product or similar items.
The app is the brainchild of AngelHack NYC organizer and startup founder Billy Mauro and Mexican entrepreneur Felipe Servin. Mauro runs another fashion startup Instashop (side note — the startup may be changing its name to Shopsy soon, I am told), which is a marketplace for products discovered on Instagram. Servin is the founder of Shoelovers, an e-commerce marketplace for shoes. Ana Ramirez and Alex Santamaria (Shoelovers co-founders) and Alfred Juarez, CEO of Cloudadmin, also helped to build the app. Both startups are from the 500 Startups program in Mexico.
Mauro explains that the broader goal with Glashion is to use Google Glass to demonstrate how it can bridge online and offline shopping behaviors. As a shopaholic myself, I often find myself snapping photos of items when I am on the go. Of course taking a photo of a stranger’s bag on the street via my phone can seem intrusive. But using a wearable device like Glass could avoid that awkwardness. It’s just one more reason for me to buy Google Glass in the name of fashion.