StyleShake.com - Design and Buy Your Own Dress

Forget about Project Runway, because you’ll probably get auf’ed in a matter of seconds. Fashion is a tough industry. But for those of you who’d like to give it a go in a more democratic atmosphere, there’s StyleShake a site which lets you design and sell your own couture wonders. Budding designers can create their wares within their own design studio—here you start from scratch, picking the fabric, the cut and layout of the item, next start mix matching different styles, and choose different textures until you’ve perfected your piece. From there, put your dress for sale. There’s currently a design competition in which the winner will get their dress for free granted they acquire the most votes. For those who don’t win but still want to purchase their design(s) it will cost about 160 pounds give or take, plus shipping. StyleShake ships to western Europe, the US and Canada.

“We love fashion and we like having it our own way. We also know that different women have different needs, preferences and passions. That’s why we started StyleShake, a bespoke fashion eBrand, which allows customers to create their own individual and inspiring designs and share them with our creative community.
At StyleShake, you are the fashion designer. Step into our design studio, start designing and get exactly what you want. Create it online using our playful design tools, share it with our fashion-savvy community and when you are ready, just click on ‘buy’. It only takes up to ten days to have your special design ready and delivered to your door.”

This site is a delight for budding designers and fashionistas. You really needn’t be a stellar seamstress or designer to come up with something pretty and elegant. I imagine that this sort of DIY ethic will attract many who love fashion but don’t quite have the chops to sew and design their own clothes. It’s also a great way for new designers to show off their wares and get noticed.

I doubt this site will appeal to more experienced designers as the options for putting together a dress are limited—will they add more features and controls? Is there any way for designers to make money from their designs? How high quality are the materials?