You know that scene from Clueless: Cher Horowitz steps into her walk-in closet but approaches her computer instead of her clothing racks. That now-archaic PC was a game-changer in its heyday, offering a database of all the items that lined Cher's wardrobe without her having to physically sift through them herself. The result? Endless outfit options that ensured she'd never again have to say, "I can't find anything to wear!"
Fast-forward 20 years, when a new online platform has not only replicated that Clueless virtual closet but also managed to change the way women shop for good. Founded by BFFs Brooklyn Decker and Whitney Casey, Finery does everything from cataloguing your previous buys and storing your online purchases to entirely managing your closet so you don't have to.
Before sitting down for a Women's Equality Day panel hosted by iconic sneaker brand Keds and feminine care company Lola, the model-slash-actress and former CNN anchor stopped to chat with us about Finery's innovative fix for fashion organization.
The Zoe Report: What prompted you to launch Finery?
Brooklyn Decker: It was Whitney's brainchild, but I know that it stemmed from the fact that we were buying things we already owned over and over. I would be packing for a trip, and I'd forget to bring a pair of jeans, and I'd go buy the same pair of jeans. I can see my entire music library on my phone. I can see my entire wedding photo album on my phone. Why can't I see what I've actually purchased? Women are spending two hours a week figuring out what to wear... I saw [Finery] as a solution to my problem.
Whitney Casey: We're a wardrobe operating system. You don't have to take pictures of anything you own; we automatically find it and upload it into a wardrobe, so it's like a closet of the future. We all wanted Cher's Clueless closet—now we're getting it.
TZR: How does your company's concept speak to women's empowerment?
BD: Females are represented in technology by 6% of the entire industry. When you think about technology that's for women, it's not really being created by women. I think it's a huge deal that we're actually women creating technology for women—and we're employing women. For us, every day we're thinking about how we can make the lives of women run more efficiently. In a way, that's empowering because we're giving women their time back—and what's more valuable than time?
WC: We will spend eight years of our lives shopping and deciding what to wear, so we want to give people eight years back.
TZR: Any advice for budding or established female entrepreneurs like yourselves?
BD: Work for women. Hire women. Fund women.
WC: My advice is learn how to code. Period.
