Macy’s links itself with fashion tech startup

New York--Macy’s Inc. has inked an exclusive partnership with fashion tech startup Nineteenth Amendment.

Nineteenth Amendment curates a selection of emerging designers from around the world and presents their collections in 19-day pre-sales online. Once the collections are sold, they then are put into production, leaving no excess inventory.

The platform also allows designers to sell their pieces directly to shoppers, who will receive a custom-made garment produced in a limited quantity in the United States.

There’s no limit to how many pieces can be made, and there also is no minimum, so anything that is purchased is produced, according to the company. 

The alliance between the tech firm and Macy’s aims to bring Nineteenth Amendment’s more than 300 up-and-coming designers in front of the retailer’s millennial shoppers.

For now, Macy’s will provide an online integration by linking to Nineteenth Amendment on its website, and in the future will be able to offer its consumers exclusive first-look access to featured designers and collections.

“What Nineteenth Amendment provides to independent designers is a risk-free way to come to market,” Macy’s CEO and Chairman Terry Lundgren said.

Macy’s first started working with the fashion tech company as part of the NY Fashion Tech Lab, which aims to offer a platform for early-stage fashion tech companies.

Macy’s and Nineteenth Amendment both were participants in the first class during the summer of 2014, with a number of executives from the retailer mentoring the Nineteenth Amendment team for three months and leading to this collaboration.

Jewelry company Alex and Ani also was a mentor for Nineteenth Amendment during Fashion Tech Lab. 

While the start-up currently only offers women’s and men’s apparel, CEO and co-founder Amanda Curtis told National Jeweler that they “would love to, in the future, open (their) platform to independent jewelry designers” and explore the same business model in the jewelry industry.