CHECKYOUdaily is a fashion site with a difference, because it’s more like a community where you can share details about your outfit, by tagging what you’re wearing. Astride Howell, the founder explains how a love of sharing fashion tips and outfit ideas, lead to the creation of CHECKYOUdaily.
Why did you decide to start CHECKYOUdaily?
The site was created after two ‘light bulb moments’, the first came after a friend moved to London. I’d email her quick images of what of I was wearing, after a month I’d sent several hundred.
When I was compiling my images, I found it difficult to locate them based on the date or by what I was actually wearing.
The second moment came after I stared to work with several brands, fashion companies and new media sites. I realised there was a gap in the market for an online luxury oriented social networking site. Putting those two realisations together set the chain in motion to create CHECKYOUdaily.
Where did the name come from?
The name came from a catch phrase in the London fashion crowd “check you out”, shortened itself to “check you”. Since the site gives you the ability to archive looks on a daily basis, the “daily” was added.
How would you describe the site?
The site can be easily described as a private luxury style network, where people can archive their looks and share them with the CHECKYOUdaily online community. Our users keep up to date with the latest trends and are very fashion forward. There style savvy fashionista’s who make an art out of putting an outfit together.
What features are on there?
The key feature of the site is the rollover technology which allows you to view designer names that have been tagged. The style tags are also indexed as searchable words, which can be found on the system. For example by clicking on the Hermes Twily tag you will be able to view other users on the system that are also wearing that item.
In addition to its archive, the site also features an editorial section which is viewable by non-members and has 4 sections that have exclusive content (interviews with stylists, men’s style musings, etc.) to help inspire the users on the network.
Why did you decide to make it a private network site?
The element of exclusivity is key to the user’s experience on the site. This helps to attract a type of user who will in turn provide a wide range of looks in their uploads. By editing our members we can construct a community of like minded individuals, all of whom have the potential to contribute creatively to the network.
When new members submit their candidacy online they also fill out details that delves into their inspirations and likes.
You recently did an event at Liberty, tell me about it?
The three days of ‘dress-up and shoot’ event was fun and a great chance to allow members and new users to have an offline experience with the site. It also provided them with an opportunity to learn more about the latest clothing and accessories available.
We set up a Live Studio with HP Vivienne Tam computers in the International Room. HP Vivienne Tam is a special edition computer; HP (Hewlett-Packard) did in collaboration with the designer Vivienne Tam to create a "digital clutch". As well as acting as one of our sponsors they were instrumental in bridging the gap between the style and technology theme of our site.
The attendees were styled by the Liberty Style Service and our in-house style team, photographed and their looks uploaded live onto the site. It was a great opportunity to see their personal interpretations of trends styled in real time.
Selected looks from the Live Studio were posted on the Liberty Blog and on the CHECKYOUdaily micro site.
Do you have any more events planned?
Yes, we plan on taking these offline events to up-and-coming style cities. First up we’ll be Shanghai and Hong Kong and then we’ll move onto Sao Paulo. We’ll be working with top luxury retail partners and brands to give new users and members a unique experience that parallels their online membership.
Any plans to focus on make-up?
Funny you should ask we plan to launch “CHECKYOUdaily beauty” next year since there are so many people who want to share their style and beauty cues with one another.
We believe that CHECKYOUdaily technology would provide a great space for this online.
Does the site have a face book or twitter account?
CHECKYOUdaily does not have a Face book account because we are our own private network, but we do have a twitter account that serves as a news feed. It’s also a direct way to communicate with non-members and provides an alternative means for our members to drop us a line.
What does the future hold for CHECKYOUdaily?
We hope to continue to provide a premium online destination for luxury brands and products.
I will then look at expanding our limited membership and introduce new interactive features that still allow our members to enjoy a streamlined and unique online experience and of course, more outfit look ideas.
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