For all those who know Frederick Devarampati are well aware of how fashionable he is. Plus, there's his unwavering love for the colour black, so much so that he doesn't wear any other colour at all. Couple this with his desire to innovate in the consumer space of social media and you have hotnot, an app that was launched just last month. Think of it as Instagram for fashion alone. And all of this started because of one billboard in Fashion Avenue, Dubai Mall, that declared 'This is going to be the next big trend'. "Who decides what's going to trend? E-commerce websites like Myntra, designers, fashion magazines or shows? It should be the people, you and me, who decide and that's what hotnot makes possible," says the co-founder of stuMagz, a start-up that was acquired last year.
All fashionistas, even aspiring ones, can create fashion profiles, post pictures, gain followers — just like on any social media platform. But in the app’s trending section, you can swipe 'hot' or 'not' on fashion trends uploaded by users and keep track of what's trending and hot and what's not in the Daily and Weekly Trends and the Hall of Fame section. As a fashionista, if you've purchased a specific shirt from a specific brand, you can add a link that leads followers to the exact shirt and earn an affiliate of up to 30%, depending on how many people actually purchase the shirt. These two features have gone a long way in getting on board the 120+ brands and attracting over 5,000 downloads already, informs the innovator who was featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
"What's one of the biggest problems that one faces while buying online? With the models, lighting and editing, the clothes appear one way online and another way offline. What we are proposing to offer is filters down to skin tone, body measurements and body type so that you get a more realistic idea of how the clothes are likely to look on you," says the Hyderabad-based youngster. They also plan on introducing features like 15-second ramp walks and offline indicators that tell you (in kilometres) exactly how far you'll have to travel to the particular T-shirt you have been eyeing. "We will soon offer a thrift option where creators, small stores or boutiques can sell their apparel," he informs. So, are you ready to set the trends?
For more on them check out hotnot.app
