More than a thousand people are using a new site to find inexpensive brand-name clothes. One hundred and fifty of them are at UF.
They’re using the newest innovation in online shopping: the website Modabound.
As a social marketplace based entirely online, Modabound provides college girls the opportunity to sell their gently-used, brand-name clothes to other students attending the same school. This localizes the online shopping experience; you’ll be meeting real-life UF students on campus.
All a seller has to do is upload a picture of the piece of clothing and set her price. Buyers can filter searches for clothes from specific stores.
Modabound was created by Carolina Garcia and Alexa Varsavsky, two recent graduates of Columbia University, who met in college and came up with the idea to create a website through which college girls could gain access to each other’s closets. The website utilizes the power of social media to gain student clientele.
More than 55 percent of Modabound’s traffic originates from Facebook. The social network is an essential aspect to Modabound’s success.
“Every university has a Facebook page featuring students from that school,” Garcia explained. “Testimonials from real students are powerful, It’s like it’s from a friend.”
Modabound has branches at six universities, five of which are in New York. The site expanded to UF due to popular demand.
“Word had gotten around,” Garcia said. “We received emails from girls asking us to expand to the University of Florida.”
Every school has campus representatives to promote and raise awareness of the site. The UF representatives are Leah Miller and Devin McDaniel.
Miller, a political science and economics junior, is of the girls tasked with running the Modabound at UF Facebook page, which also features trendy outfits.
“We also post about women at UF who we find looking extremely fashionable on campus and feature them as ‘Moda Muses,’” Miller said.
Miller uses Modabound herself for shopping and just recently sold a dress through the site, she said.
Why choose Modabound over major clothes corporations’ websites?
“Convenience,” Garcia said. “It is very convenient to be able to see and try on everything before buying.”
With about 1,200 users signed up for the site, Modabound has plans to unveil a mobile app in the fall.
“Everything will be in the app: the shop, pictures, communication and payment,” Garcia said. “Buyers can link to their bank accounts.”
Modabound is all about helping college girls look fashionable on a college budget.
“Style has nothing to do with how much you can buy,” Garcia said.
To learn more, visit http://www.modabound.com.
A version of this story ran on page 7 on 8/29/2013 under the headline "Modabound opens UF branch"
