Alta, a personal styling app powered by AI that helps users figure out what to wear and what to buy, has forged a partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Alta is powered by over a dozen AI models trained by the Alta team and serves as a personal style companion. It uses AI-driven capabilities to optimize one’s closet and help users shop, ensuring new purchases fit into one’s existing wardrobe.
The app is designed to help consumers better plan their outfits, look professional at work, expand their wardrobe, and wear their clothes more frequently — recommending new clothing purchases or clothes from one’s own closet.
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The CFDA looks to bring Alta’s innovation and advanced technologies to their membership, giving designers the opportunity to engage with a new audience.
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“Many designers in our 370-strong CFDA membership are fascinated by the opportunities AI can provide, and, if they’re not already in the space, are looking to learn more about AI and how it could work for them. Through CFDA’s new partnership with Alta, we can provide designers with ways to leverage technology into more personalized shopping experiences and help them with new opportunities to grow their businesses,” said Steven Kolb, chief executive officer of CFDA.
Explaining how the app works, Jenny Wang, founder and CEO of Alta, told WWD that every morning Alta generates outfits for the user, depending on their calendar, the weather, what their style is.
“Basically I look at it, rather than look at my weather app,” said Wang, who received her engineering degree from Harvard College. She said you can also give it a prompt such as “‘I need an outfit for a summer wedding in Capri,’ and it will pull pieces from what you own as well as pieces you can buy,” she said.
Further, she noted, “You can also have it generate packing lists such as ‘I’m going on a two-week vacation to Japan, and will be eating, sight-seeing and hiking,’ and it will tell you what you’re wearing every day of the trip,” she said. Her favorite new feature is the avatar, which is a version of a virtual try-on. You have an outfit and you upload a photo of yourself and it will generate it on you, she said.
Wang said she’s been working on the technology for over a year and a half, and the app is available on the App Store.
Among the investors in Alta are Meredith Koop, a fashion consultant and image strategist who has served as Michelle Obama’s personal stylist; model Jasmine Tookes; model and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss; Jennifer Fleiss, cofounder of Rent the Runway, Keltie Knight of E! News, and Manish Chandra, a founder of Poshmark.
Koop told WWD, “I’m so thrilled to be working with Jenny and the Alta team. Alta is unique in its approach and technology. Alta’s AI system is trained on data and styling logic — including input from experienced people like me. It offers wearable combinations you can build a wardrobe around. Partnering with the CFDA means those combos can also include newer voices in American fashion, alongside legacy brands.”
Calling the CFDA partnership “really exciting,” Wang said, “It’s one of the first AI partnerships they’ve done. A lot of designers are excited about this technology. A big part of what will make people learn about new brands or shop more is for people to understand how they can style it.” She said people who don’t work in fashion or frequently shop online don’t always know how to wear something or what to wear it with. Alta will give suggestions for such events as the ideal outfit for date nights, traveling in professional situations or a meeting with a boss.
Wang noted that the app has grown to over 40 countries. “We might see a student in Singapore looking for an outfit for going out to a club, or a mom in Texas who has a playdate with her 2-year-old and her 2-year-old’s friend. It can be adapted to anyone. That’s the beauty of AI. It learns your style and your taste the more you use it,” she said.
She said you don’t need to upload your closet to use the app, and a lot of people just use the app for inspiration. They have a feature if you upload a Pinterest inspiration photo you can generate the outfit on the user. In addition, Al will give the user shopping recommendations. The user can also connect his or her email to Alta and they can pull all your email receipts, and AI can add them to your closet for you. You can search in their data base for items. You can also take photos of what you want, and AI will try and find the original photo.
Wang said they make money from the consumer app and affiliate partnerships. The app is free to use. If someone buys something, Alta gets a cut.
“Why brands are excited about the platform is it’s a brand new experience for consumers. Shopping is utilitarian, but it’s also fun and inspiring, and it’s entertainment. People are generating thousands of avatars a day. They want to try on this Ralph Lauren sweater with my own Gap jeans, and it’s the whole mixing and matching thing,” said Wang.
Wang said the app is geared to all age groups of women and men. “It’s been interesting to see the broad appeal,” she said.
Alta’s current brand catalog has roughly 4,000 brands. “We’re always looking to expand so we can offer more brands and offer more ideas and suggestions,” said Wang. They are actively bringing brands onto their catalog. They got them via retail partnerships, and in the longer-term, they’d like to have more direct relationships with brands. “We’d like to share insights into how are people styling, what trends are consumers excited about. I think that’s really valuable data,” she said. Alta gives the user a link to purchase it if they want. Users can also add all their favorites to a wish list on Alta.
Clothing is pulled from the brand’s catalog images. Alta has affiliate partnerships with stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom, and through third-party affiliate partners such as Rakuten and Sovrn. Wang noted that many retailers and brands have been reaching out to them directly, including three major luxury European brands this week.