Crowdsourcing for deals and apparel is well-trodden territory, but for luxury goods designed by small, artisan makers? That’s a bit of newness you’ll find from Zanoby, a crowd sourcing site that soft-launched this week with a limited offering of design-focused finds made by Italian artisans. Given my longstanding love affair with independent fashion, I was eager to take an early look.
Among the first items up for grabs: an $850 vintage-inspired bike, rustic silver and leather jewelry and handmade leather handbags. Each is offered for pre-order in a limited-time sale, with manufacturers setting production minimums. Once enough people have ordered to meet the minimum order requirement (at the moment, they’re quite low – between three and five for most items), makers agree to produce the products shown. Flipping the traditional supply chain model, Zanoby enables designers to snag funds up front to offset production costs and allows shoppers to buy handcrafted, luxury goods that would ordinarily endure a higher retail markup.
The site’s just out of the gate, so expect a wait to join (you can use my referral link above for faster access) and, in the coming months, an expanded designer roster that extends beyond Italian artisans.
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