Like many coveted careers, fashion design is not an easy field to break into. Talented young designers often find themselves trapped in a Catch-22: to have their clothing sold in shops, they must have existing sales. But how does one sell their clothing before it makes it to a shop?

Amanda Curtis, a North Shore native and BU alum, recognized this problem, and figured there had to be a solution.

“It’s the chicken and the egg. You invest money into your products, but you have no idea if people are going to buy from you in the end,” Curtis said. “I wanted to combine technology and fashion to create a current market demand before something goes into production, to help other designers break into the industry.”

So Curtis, along with her partner Gemma Sole, whom she met during her time at Boston Startup School (now Startup Institute Boston), founded 19th Amendment. It’s an online fashion portfolio and platform where designers can create a profile on the site and sell their products directly to customers – the designers will then get feedback about their items, and most importantly, build up sales quota and experience. They’ll be able to figure out their target demographic, what items work best, and what seller is the right fit for them to approach, be it Nordstrom, Target, or a local boutique. The bottom line of 19th Amendment: to help designers find out if there’s a market for what they’re doing, before they start doing it (read: invest a ton of money into it).

When items are ordered from designers through 19th Amendment, they’re sent to Brooklyn, NY to be manufactured, so it can be more easily overseen. They have a quality assurance policy – if there’s something wrong, they’ll take back the item – but buyers are first and foremost supporting young designers, and Curtis sees the benefit in that.

“We’re going for the Kickstarter mentality. For your support, you’ll get a garment in return, so it’s like Kickstarter rewards, but you get the actual product,” she said.

The online company is currently running an indiegogo campaign to raise money to fully launch their new site, fund manufacturing, and purchase supplies. Supporters can donate to the cause, get to know the designers, and purchase items directly from the indiegogo page. Learn more about the campaign in the video below:

 

 

19TH AMENDMENT // IndieGoGo Campaign Video from I Got Sole on Vimeo.

 

The company operates closely with New York City, where Curtis lived and worked in the fashion industry before yearning for something more innovative, and less daily-grind. Curtis said she returned to Boston to start her company because of the booming start up scene and the close-knit community.

“There is a lot of fashion and tech happening in Boston and New York; the advantage of Boston is that we don’t have an established scene, so it’s easier to make rules as you go – rather than having Anna Wintour and Vogue telling you you can’t do it that way. The community embraces you [in Boston],” said Curtis.

Curtis also found a population of student designers in Boston – where there are more fashion schools than in New York – and this untapped young talent has made up a good portion of 19th Amendment’s featured designers.

Going forward, 19th Amendment will be working to gain recognition both in Boston and New York. Next week, the company will host a fashion show in New York City featuring their designers. In the fall, 19th Amendment is looking to combine the worlds of fashion and tech in the Hub at a fashion show event, so stay tuned.

Interested in 19th Amendment? Check out examples of items from the designers in the slideshow below to see what’s available for purchase.