Another day, another app, another ‘celeb going into tech’. This week alone we’ve heard that Blake Lively’s new Goop-esque lifestyle website is to be called ’Preserve’ (yeah, us neither) and now it’s been announced that Kate Bosworth – she of Blue Crush fame and owner of 1,875 brilliant Coachella outfits – is releasing a fashion app.
Style Thief – which is co-founded by the co-owner of US fashion chain American Rag Cie, Sam Russ and will launch in the UK in two months – has already had tons of hype, mainly because it’s a really, really good idea. Think of it as Shazam for your style. You snap a picture, upload it to the app, whereupon Style Thief will bring up a similar selection of items, which you can buy in a few short clicks – without leaving the Style Thief app (most similar apps on the market at the moment would take you through to the retailer).
If you're still dubious, Kate is partnering with 300 retailers on the app (which means a great selection of brands and price points, from H&M to Net-a-Porter) and they are using the same sort of software as security companies use – which means it'll have a pretty forensic eye for detail. You can even set an alert so that you will a notification when an item you’ve previously wishlisted on Style Thief goes on sale.
‘Everyone has fashion envy,’ Kate told Women's Wear Daily. ‘Everyone can relate to that feeling of looking at an editorial, for example – or a friend, or the runway, for that matter – wanting to steal something exactly as you’re seeing it, or something similar.’ Citing Alexa Chung, Julianne Moore and Cate Blanchett as the three women she would use Style Thief on, Kate herself has already been using the app’s prototype to bolster her own wardrobe.
Style Thief is the latest in a long list of business-generating projects for Kate, which includes a collaboration with an as yet unnamed LA brand. Given how good (albeit expensive) her two Topshop collections were, we’ve got high hopes for Style Thief. Never will we need to grudgingly ask someone where they got their dress from again! Result.
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Picture: Rex
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.