Alta Partners With Public School to Bring AI Styling Tools to Websites
▼ Summary
– Alta is a company that raised $11 million to develop an AI-powered platform allowing users to create digital closets and try on clothes using personalized virtual avatars, inspired by the technology depicted in the film “Clueless.”
– The company’s app is now publicly available, has generated over 100 million outfits, and has secured partnerships with entities like Poshmark and the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
– Alta has launched its first brand integration with Public School, enabling shoppers to style looks from the brand’s collection directly on their own Alta avatar via the brand’s website.
– The company differentiates itself by enabling avatars to try on at least 8 items almost instantly, a capability it claims surpasses competitors like Zara.
– Alta’s founder envisions the platform evolving into a fundamental “personal identity layer” for AI-driven commerce, built on data about a user’s style, closet, and physical likeness.
The fashion technology landscape is witnessing a significant evolution as companies like Alta move beyond standalone applications to integrate directly with brand websites. This strategic shift aims to revolutionize the online shopping experience by embedding personalized AI styling tools where consumers are already browsing. The company’s recent collaboration with the iconic New York label Public School marks a pivotal step in this direction, bringing virtual try-on capabilities directly to a designer’s own digital storefront.
Jenny Wang, Alta’s founder, has been instrumental in transforming a concept reminiscent of the “Clueless” movie into a tangible business. Following an $11 million funding round led by Menlo Ventures last year, which attracted investors like models Jasmine Tookes and Karlie Kloss, the platform has seen substantial growth. Its consumer app, celebrated by publications like Time and Vogue, has facilitated the creation of over 100 million outfits since its 2023 launch. The platform also boasts partnerships with major players such as Poshmark and the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
The core of Alta’s enterprise strategy is providing brands with seamless app and website integrations. This allows shoppers to utilize their personalized Alta Avatar to try on clothing directly from a designer’s collection. The partnership with Public School, which recently made a grand return to New York Fashion Week after a hiatus, serves as the inaugural example. Founders Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne were specifically seeking an AI partner to enhance customer interaction, with Chow being an active user of the Alta app himself.
Chow emphasized the brand’s modern approach to technology, stating it is viewed as a critical partner for extending storytelling and engaging consumers. “It’s not 2015 anymore,” he noted, highlighting their intent to use AI not for design, but as a tool for immersive brand experiences. On the Public School product pages, a “Style by Alta” icon now enables customers to instantly visualize how items would look on their digital avatar without leaving the site.
This integration addresses a key friction point in online fashion retail. Previously, a shopper interested in an item would need to save it to a wishlist within the Alta app to try it on virtually. The new model embeds that styling journey directly into the brand’s own ecosystem. Wang envisions this becoming a standard, allowing the Alta community to engage with and shop from multiple brands across the web using their consistent digital identity.
While other fashion houses like Zara and Balmain have explored digital avatars, Wang points to Alta’s technical advantages. The platform can render avatars wearing at least eight separate items in seconds, a process she says is faster and more detailed than some existing solutions. Ultimately, Wang sees Alta’s role expanding into a fundamental personal identity layer for AI-driven commerce. She argues that for truly effective agentic shopping, a robust data layer understanding a user’s style, closet, purchases, and physical likeness is essential, a role she believes Alta is uniquely positioned to fill.
(Source: TechCrunch)
