The Future of Fashion Design Is Mobile

This story appears in the October 2013 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Memo to New York City, Paris and Milan: Your runways are passé. The future of fashion design is mobile. Try on for size Crowdstar's new Covet Fashion application for Apple's iOS, which lets would-be virtual Versaces style a digital mannequin by mixing and matching more than 1,000 real-world garments and accessories from trendsetting brands like Rebecca Minkoff, Halston Heritage and Cynthia Rowley. All items include a link to purchase them directly from the brand or another retailer, and users may also enter their designs into daily style challenges voted on by the Covet Fashion community, winning name-brand merchandise for the most electrifying ensembles.

"Fashion is an active thing--it's participatory," says Crowdstar CEO Jeff Tseng. "We said, ‘Let's take all facets of the fashion experience--shopping, styling, showing off and sharing--and put it on mobile.'"

Covet Fashion also touts expert tips and tricks from designers and tastemakers like stylist Rachel Zoe. "On shopping websites, you can see what one item looks like on a model, but with Covet Fashion you can style several different looks and accessories on your avatar until you get the perfect look," Zoe says.

Could Covet Fashion launch the career of the next superstar designer? "There's a ton of potential here," Tseng says. "We're creating a platform where anything can happen."