Amanda Baker of Pink Mothballs

For our latest Fashion Tech interview, we posited some questions to Amanda Baker: founder of the fashion-sharing app Pink Mothballs. This unique application allows users to view, share and borrow from each other’s wardrobes. We asked Amanda about her experience has been so far and her future expectations.

What inspired you to start Pink Mothballs?

My experience of never having anything to wear for nights out inspired me to come up with the idea of borrowing and lending clothes more regularly with friends. In January 2012 I identified a gap in the market for a new app to give girls the ability to see what’s in their friends’ wardrobes via their mobile phone. With the rapid growth in fashion browsing and purchasing on mobile, I knew the concept of Pink Mothballs was relevant to my young female demographic.

How has your app changed the way people share and purchase clothing?

We know consumers are always looking for new ways to save money and look good. Swishing is a prime example of this and is a growing trend in the sustainable fashion industry. However, consumers will never stop shopping. We’ve studied our market and have created an app that mimics a fashion retailer’s mobile shopping experience, without the spending bit. Instead of changing the way people share and purchase clothing, we’ve created a unique way for people to share what they don’t wear and shop for free on their mobile phone.

What do you think are the biggest challenges in mixing fashion and technology?

For me there are no challenges. I know it’s a cliché, but anything is possible. Technology is the way forward and I believe mobile is the way to go for any business in the fashion industry. Go mobile or go home.

What do you think is the relationship between sharing and purchasing fashion?

If I buy something it’s normally because I’ve seen a blogger wear it in one of their posts or I’ve seen it on Instagram. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know it existed. The ability to share fashion through social platforms is highlighting new trends in the way we shop for clothes. Who looks through brochures these days? I know I don’t. The future is social shopping.

What’s next for Pink Mothballs?

We’re currently in the process of planning our relaunch to students in September. We can’t reveal too much yet, but we will be rebranding and renaming our app to make it more marketable to students. Stay tuned for something AWESOME!