launchvt 2017 finalist
share to wear

Describe your business in 50 words or less. 

Share to Wear is a clothing rental platform that allows college women to lend and rent dresses from one another. We are renewing the consignment experience by creating one big accessible, affordable, and still fashionable
closet. 

Tell us about your team - why are you the right people for this venture? 

No one knows a college woman better than college women.  My co-founder Charlotte Reider-Smith and I wanted to solve two problems.  I had 30+ dresses in my closet that I wasn't wearing but wasn't ready to part with.  On the other side, Charlotte wanted to access certain fashionista's closets at our school.  The result was Share to Wear, and we've been able to be on the ground spreading the word and using direct feedback to improve our product.  The rest of our team is experienced in design, fashion, and finance. Our team members have had experiences traveling the country teaching teenagers Adobe Suite, working in retail at Kate Spade, and working at a venture capital firm in Pennsylvania. We are go-getters and self-starters.  Not to mention - as I am graduating, I will have the time to bring Share to Wear to new campuses -- we just launched at UVM!

Why Vermont? 

The LaunchVT in-kind support - specifically, the free business space for one year at VCET will help us to establish our headquarters in Burlington, Vermont. Burlington is only a three-hour drive from Boston - America's college city - and a forty-five-minute plane ride from NYC - one of the fashion capitals of the world.  Vermont is one of three states where women are paid equally to men for the same job, and as a venture run by women for women we want to start in a state that sets the right standard as we expand.  

Why should you win LaunchVT? 

So far LaunchVT has selected winners specializing in virtual reality, high-tech skis, and organic skin care.  These companies have all found success disrupting the industry or using a current solution to solve a new problem.  We are doing the same.  Consignment is not a new idea, but consignment rentals are.  The current apparel resale industry is valued at $18 billion dollars and is expected to expand to $33 billion by 2021.  With 11.7 million girls in college, the opportunity for Share to Wear is tremendous.  A LaunchVT victory would be the start of our inevitable success.