Fashionistas who try to avoid wearing the same outfits as everyone else are constantly on an expedition to discover fresh and independent designers, and it can be a bumpy journey.

Hong Kong-based startup iSTYLEUP hopes to make this process easier by gathering aspiring fashion designers from home and abroad on its website.

Described as a social commerce site, it aims to serve as a channel for designers with limited resources to sell their works, and also an online marketplace and a social platform for users who are looking for garments and accessories with unique design.

Harry Chai Kin-wai, founder of iSTYLEUP, used to run a fashion incubator for property developer Nan Fung Group in an effort to nurture young local designers.

"When I talked to designers about the difficulties they faced, I found that their biggest challenge was the lack of a channel to link their products with their end customers, especially those from overseas markets," he recalls.

Most designers rely heavily on local fashion fairs, he explains, while some travel to fashion events around the world to reach merchandisers, which can cost them more than they can afford.

Chai believes he could do more to bridge the gap for these local talents. He decided to quit his corporate job to make iSTYLEUP happen in 2014.

"A website that can gather designers from all over the world and reach global users will be a very effective way for designers to sell their products directly to customers, rather than waiting for retail buyers to place an order," he says.

Using Hong Kong as its starting point, Chai began seeing the huge demand from designers from abroad as the website grew.

Emphasizing the originality, design and marketability of the brands, iSTYLEUP has brought more than 100 designers on board - about half of the community is designers from the US and Europe while one-third is homegrown in Hong Kong.

Designers are free to join iSTYLEUP, and the platform only charges them for the transactions completed on the website, with commission claimed to be lower than the market.

With some 7,000 users at the moment, Chai admits that the trade volume is still relatively low with only a few transactions happening each day.

However, he points out that some of the traffic is active on its social platform that allows users to mix and match images of fashion pieces, and create a complete look from head to toe.

Still in its infancy, with only five staff, iSTYLEUP is spending the better part of its resources on marketing, and aims to grow faster with the help of a local startup initiative.

ISTYLEUP is among six startups supported by Google through their 2016 Empowering Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) Program - an initiative that encourages local entrepreneurship and innovation.

Program director S.L. Ho Siu-lun believes that iSTYLEUP is considered innovative to the Google EYE Program in a way that the platform enables people to discover brands and designers that are usually elusive, and hence changes the way they consume.

"It's important that someone is sourcing independent designs, and the iSTYLEUP team is well-positioned to do it with its deep background in the fashion field. Designers need a platform like this," Ho tells China Daily.

Trained as an architect in the university, Chai is now a serial entrepreneur with previous experience in retail and e-commerce since 2004, and no stranger to the obstacles in the journey of entrepreneurship. "There were no initiatives like the EYE Program to support us, and terms such as angel investment were almost unheard of in Hong Kong," he recalls.

However, he notes that it has become easier for startups to grow in Hong Kong over the years. "The ecosystem has definitely improved. Startups are getting more attention and big, traditional corporations are starting to get involved in the community."

Ho believes that Hong Kong has an open mindset that allows the city to become an important hub for innovation in the region.

"The flexibility and the openness in Hong Kong's culture give us an inherent advantage to adapt to changes and continue to innovate. The city has great access to other innovative hubs, including the Chinese mainland and Taiwan which will, in turn, inspire us to move forward," he says.

iris@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 10/13/2016 page9)