This past weekend, the first ever Startup Weekend for Fashion was hosted by QUT CEA. I didn’t participate, and no, I wasn’t at the Mobile App Hackathon either, but I did turn up on Sunday to listen to the final pitches. I am glad I went because all the six pitches were fairly interesting, and all of them have the potential to be successful.

Interestingly, this startup weekend seemed to allow existing businesses to enter. Most of the other Startup Weekends make a big deal that the idea being pitched on Friday is fresh and new. However, SW Fashion allowed two businesses that were established but used the weekend to pivot or start a new line.

In fact, the winner of the weekend of was Electra and it is an existing business. But the Founder used the weekend to develop the LED module for the Colour-matching light up modular bracelet, which will apparently also be used in a purse in the near future. Also, the LED modules work as earrings too.

Their target market is club going party people. So it’s not my scene. My type of LED fashion is more fantasy inspired wear like the type made by Angela Clayton with stuff like her Christmas Angel costume. Admittedly, Electra’s designs are more practical, while Angela needs to create a ready-to-wear version of her creation. That said, Electra mentioned something about an LED embedded purse. That I would be interested in!

The other existing business that used the startup weekend to explore a new angle was the designer Nola Marta, who has a successful high fashion bespoke business in Indonesia. But because it’s bespoke and high fashion, also because Nola Marta wants to be sustainable and ethical to her employees, her growth in Indonesia has plateaued. So she’s looking to move into the Australian market. So she used the weekend to explore strategies on how to do that, settling on launching a more affordable but still bespoke line. I liked the designs she showed off. So I hope she makes it.

The runner-up was more my speed as they were the Modest Collective, who wanted to make a platform where modest fashion buyers and sellers could meet. I don’t wear hijab, but I still have issues buying clothes. Especially dresses with pockets and non-plunging necklines. I also have a friend who sells modest active wear that’s loved by a lot of pale Australian women because it protects their skin and stops them from burning.

So the market is there, and since they are creating a marketplace, instead of a label, they are not subject to trends as much as Electra or Nola Marta. Another startup that was about supporting fashion instead of being a fashion house was Puctto Magazine that wanted to marry a virtual changing room with the ability to buy clothing directly from the runway. It’s funny because I can at once see the novelty in what they are trying to do but also why it won’t work.

Similarly, Quirk was the other platform/marketplace pitched, and again, I can see the novelty and also the many, many, many reasons why they aren’t going to work. Lastly, BU Sunglasses were about making fashionable sports sunglasses for women and kids. The reasoning is that the alien-eye sports sunglasses aren’t loved by women as much as they are by men. So there is an untapped market there for women and possibly kids for non-alien-eye looking sports sunglasses. I honestly don’t know enough about the sunglasses market to comment.

So yes, the participants seemed to have had fun, and it was a successful weekend by all account. But I am glad I was only an audience member because my energy is currently low. You need to have a fair amount of energy to get the most out of Startup Weekend. So I better get my energy up because I am sign-up to participate in the Global Startup Weekend Brisbane 2018!