Our top 5 fashion startups to watch: Thread, Jon Lou, Sizem

Fashion and technology have often made reluctant bedfellows. But following the success of networking events like Decoded Fashion, we now have a collection of stylish new startups leading the way, with digital experiences as creative as the outfits they’re selling.

Here are five to keep an eye on.

LikeToKnow.It

Picture 2 of 5

As the channel where a picture really does say 1000 words, Instagram’s potential as a shopping portal has had brands sitting up and paying attention for a while now - could it also be the channel where a picture sells 1000 shoes?

One of the many startups hoping the answer is ‘yes’ is LikeToKnow.It, a service that allows brands, bloggers and retailers to register shopping info with their Instagram photos. Wherever users see the hashtag #Liketkit, they can simply ‘like’ the image and be emailed details on where to buy the items they’ve seen.

Two weeks ago, Vogue announced it had signed up with LikeToKnow.It, meaning the magazine’s Instagram feed will now be shoppable (and payable, as it’ll receive commission on every sale through affiliate platform RewardStyle). We’re more excited that this could mean the end of sending sheepish “where’s it from please?” comments to our favourite fash people.

The downside: it’s all rather US-based right now, so brace yourself for shipping fees.

Check out LikeToKnow.It.

Lauren Bravo