Fashion Tech Firm Devoted to Avatar Creation Bods Gets $5.6M in Funding
Summary
MILAN Bods, the fashion tech company founded by former model and computer graphics enthusiast Christine Marzano, is getting its first round of investment, WWD has learned.The Los Angeles-based firm, which develops avatars and offers avatar-dependent digital styling and virtual try-on experiences, has closed a seed round spearheaded by Stellation Capital for a total amount of $5.6 million, reflecting the traction digital enablers are getting in the wake of the metaverse frenzy.Fellow model Karlie Kloss is among the investors, which also include Rent the Runways cofounder Jenny Fleiss; angel investor and entrepreneur Cyan Banister, as well as Swiss investment group Alsara, Third Kind Venture Capital and Long Journey Ventures, among others.I just knew that there was this huge opportunity in fashion, which is all about exploration and experimentation, Marzano, Bods founder chief executive officer, told WWD in Milan. Bod is the name given to the photorealistic avatars users are required to create the first time they sign up for the service.Bods is on a mission to deliver a much-needed win-win-win for customers, for retailers, and for the environment with their platform, commented Peter Boyce II, CEO at Stellation Capital.The round will help Marzano and her team of about 18 people, split between Los Angeles and Ukraine, secure growth via new ventures with luxury brands, a few of which already reached out, even in the most unexpected of ways, including via Instagram direct messaging.Asked about Bods Ukrainian employees, mainly engineers, Marzano said the company is doing everything we can to support our team members and their families at this time and to make sure that they are safe and provided for during this crisis.Bods accurate and photorealistic avatar configurations are part of its strength. To create one, users need to upload pictures of their body or add measurements which can subsequently be fine-tuned via a gradient map to select the right skin tone or through the resizing feature enabling customers to improve the accuracy of body shape representation, for example.It needs to be easy; you dont have to be a gamer to know how to use it, I shop e-com so I should be able to use this, these should be the basic skills required in order to use it, Marzano contended.The company does share users navigation habits and data with brands but stocks and keeps the hard data private, including measurements (for privacy purpose images uploaded to Bods are destroyed after the avatar is created).Making the experience not only useful but also fun, Bods allows users to style their avatars and create outfits with all the items available on the brands e-shop, digitized by the tech company to reproduce the look and feel of the actual clothing and accessories. In 2017 she made her own avatar and tried to sell it to a roster of brands and model agencies, including IMG, but they all turned down the offer.Marzano prides herself on blending her background in fashion and computer graphics, delivering an elevated experience and focusing on things that really matter to the luxury industry. She believes they wont replace IRL experiences but will add an extra layer and she forecast a wider penetration will happen when AR-enhanced wearables that can seamlessly integrate in our daily life, such as AR contact lenses, will eventually launch.