Despite having a closet full of clothes, many of us wear only a fraction of what we own. Enter wardrobe apps, the digital assistants that can revolutionize the way you approach your wardrobe, buy more consciously, and resell effortlessly. In this article, we'll delve into what wardrobe apps are, how they work, and why they're becoming essential tools for fashion enthusiasts, especially those who plan to invest in resale.
What Is a Wardrobe App?
A wardrobe app, also known as a closet app, is a digital platform designed to help you organize and manage your clothing collection. It allows you to catalog your wardrobe, track individual items, and in instances create outfits or track data like cost per wear or resale value. Essentially, it's like having your closet in the palm of your hand, accessible anytime, anywhere.
How Wardrobe Apps (or Closet Apps) Work
At the core of every wardrobe app is the process of cataloging your clothing. You upload photos of your items and input relevant details such as size, brand, and category. Once your wardrobe is digitized, you can start exploring various features offered by the app that help you manage, style, or resell your wardrobe.
The drawbacks of digital wardrobes thus far
While digital wardrobe apps offer numerous benefits, they are not without their pain points. One significant drawback is the initial time investment required to catalog your entire wardrobe accurately. Uploading photos, inputting item details, and organizing your closet digitally can be a time-consuming process, especially for those with extensive clothing collections.
Moreover, some wardrobe apps may lack certain advanced features or customization options desired by users, limiting the functionality and flexibility. Overall, while digital wardrobe apps offer convenience and organization, users should be aware of the various features and consider them when choosing the right app for their needs.
How Future Reference is different:
1. Built for Resale:
Unlike traditional closet organization tools, Future Reference is tailored for resale. Future Reference helps you identify items in your closet that have resale value and track their worth over time. Additionally, saving original product details can assist in creating optimized listings and make the selling process hassle-free.
2. Automated Archiving:
By leveraging automation and AI, Future Reference simplifies the upload and archiving process. With just a link or a click of a Chrome Extension, we save essential details like size, material, and fit, allowing you to reuse this information in listings later on. We use AI to tag variables like category, color and style so there’s no manual entry needed.
Moreover, Future Reference streamlines the process of tagging and organizing personal snapshots, enhancing overall efficiency for listing. The most requested images on resale marketplaces are photos of the item on the body, so Future Reference helps you collect snapshots as you wear outfits to attach to your listings later.
Some other Wardrobe Apps and Their Pros + Cons:
Let's take a closer look at a few popular wardrobe apps and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses:
Future Reference
- Cost: Free
- Cataloguing ease: Very automated
- Feature set: Automated archiving, clothing database from over 250 contemporary and luxury brands, several digital wardrobe views, resale estimates and historical resale data to inform listing info and pricing.
- Summary: Future Reference is perfect for those that are interested in branded resale, and consider potential resale value or resale-ability when buying clothing. Cataloguing is automated and focused on tracking resale value and simplifying the listing process. Focus is on ready to wear and luxury items.
- Cost: Free.
- Cataloging ease: Somewhat automated.
- Feature set: Provides digital wardrobe cataloging, outfit creation, scheduling, and tracking, randomized outfit suggestions, shopping recommendations, and a directory of local services.
- Summary: Whering’s key benefit is its Clueless-type styling service. Item upload can be done manually or via screenshot. You can log outfits and shop their marketplace.
- Cost: Free with optional subscription for additional features.
- $250 for comprehensive cataloguing
- $100-$250 for personal styling services
- Cataloging ease: Very manual (with optional professional cataloging service).
- Feature set: Offers digital cataloging, outfit planning, wardrobe analytics, personal styling services (via subscription).
- Summary: Known for its styling features, including the ability to hire a stylist through the app to style your wardrobe. Cataloguing is very manual and can be done for a $250 fee by a professional. Self-style, log outfits and track wardrobe metrics.
- Cost: Free.
- Cataloging ease: Somewhat manual.
- Feature set: Offers manual cataloging and screenshot upload, outfit planning, wardrobe analytics, user-generated outfit sharing, and a built-in marketplace for secondhand items. The focus is on mass market brands including Zara, H&M, and Nike.
- Cost: $4.99 (one-time fee).
- Cataloging ease: Very manual.
- Feature set: Includes digital wardrobe cataloging (with manual background removal), outfit creation, scheduling, and tracking, packing checklist, and a style shuffle feature.
- Cost: Free with subscription for style analytics and styling recommendations.
- Cataloging ease: Somewhat manual.
- Feature set: Offers pre-loaded capsule wardrobe, otherwise manual uploading via photo or screenshot. Manual tagging. With paid upgrade, AI-generated outfit recommendations, ChatGPT-powered style assistance, and unlimited outfits and human stylist access.
- Cost: Free.
- Cataloging ease: Somewhat automated.
- Feature set: Provides digital wardrobe cataloging, outfit planning, scheduling, and tracking, basic wardrobe analytics. Their differentiator is a directory of local care and repair services.
In Conclusion:
Wardrobe apps represent a paradigm shift in how we approach fashion and wardrobe management. With their ability to digitize closets, offer personalized styling advice, and facilitate resale, these apps empower users to unlock their style potential. Whether you're a fashion enthusiast or someone looking to streamline their wardrobe, investing in a wardrobe app can transform the way you buy, help you more thoughtfully consider your closet investments, and drive more resale value.
