Inverted Edge gives spotlight to all independent contemporary fashion designers

The homegrown startup has raised US$1.6M total funding in two years.

Asia Pacific may be home to a lot of independent designers with international training and collections that have global appeal, but startup Inverted Edge sees one particular challenge. It believes that the region is lacking a distribution mechanism for these brands to reach stylish consumers around the world, and filling this gap also provides a way for contemporary designers from outside the region to reach Asia’s rapidly growing (and increasingly stylish) middle class customers.

Apart from recognizing the myriad independent contemporary fashion designers around the world, Inverted Edge at the same time saw the potential to create an online platform that had two prongs. First is that it could be easily and cost-effectively replicated for different languages or for individual brands that want a standalone presence in addition to multi-brand distribution. Secondly, for media owners who want to enhance their content and participate in e-commerce without impacting their advertising relationships.

Founder and CEO Debra Langley shares that since launching Inverted Edge in 2013 with 30 brands, the number of designers who have been invited to join the site has more than doubled. This, she says, does not include the more than 1000 brands that have approached the company for representation, but who may not be quite ready for an international audience, or who may be better suited to a retailer with a different curation point of view.

At Inverted Edge, they evaluate each brand against a score-card where they look at everything from the design inspiration, collection consistency, fabrics and factories, to wearability and size grading (does the designer offer a full international size range, and is it accurate), and the designer's perspective on selling across borders.

According to Debra, one thing that also differentiates them from their competitors is their online + offline (“020”) strategy. “We always felt that it was important to launch online first, with a wider reach than brick and mortar could offer, and that offline would come later – in whatever form would be most appropriate for our business - but it would certainly involve an in-store digital component. As e-commerce forces brick and mortar doors to change, we are cognizant that our version of “offline store” may be something entirely different from what is currently the norm,” notes Debra. The recently announced partnership with new concept store, Manifesto, which opens in the Capitol Piazza development in Singapore, is an example of how Inverted Edge intends to grow an omni-channel presence; they are Manifesto’s e-commerce partner for their 60+ international contemporary brands, and Manifesto is are their brick and mortar and events partner.

Debra claims that they are one of the few places where customers can try products from more than 60 different independent designers from the region that are not readily available in stores. In Singapore, Inverted Edge holds a variety of pop-up stores with partners to test different demographics and neighborhoods. They are also currently offering a real world styling service at their showroom in Lavender, where customers can come alone or in small groups to shop. The styling service will be extended to the Manifesto concept store as well.

Currently, the company has raised a total of US$1.6million. Apart from their own investment, incubator, Incuvest Asia, has helped Inverted Asia to raise money from NRF through the Technology Incubation Scheme. The team comprising Inverted Edge also secured investment from Accel-X, and from four private investors. 

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COMPANY PROFILE

Name of the Company: Inverted Edge
Founders: Debra Langley
Website: https://invertededge.com/
Total Funding at hand: US$1.6m
Source of Funding: Internal funding, NRF, Incuvest, Accel-X, and four private investors
Major Investors: NRF, Incuvest and Accel-X
Start of Operation: October 15, 2012/Launch date April 2013 

For startups wanting to be featured, send your message to Lee Anne Babierra at [email protected]