How FITLE is setting out to turn fashion e-commerce on its head!

When I was in Paris three weeks ago and still had some free time, I spontaneously visited Charles Nouboué from FITLE in his office. FITLE means nothing to you? But it should…

FITLE is currently working on fundamentally changing fashion eCommerce. They are doing this by providing functionality to virtually try on clothes on a model of the user’s body.
You do this by taking a few standardized photos of yourself with your smartphone and opening an account with FITLE. You can then use your own avatar to conveniently try on items of clothing in stores that offer FITLE.

The technology behind it is as complex as it is resource-intensive. After more than two years of development, FITLE launched the first version of the app in September. I was able to get a short interview with Charles, the founder and CEO of FITLE.

Charles, could you briefly explain what FITLE does for eCommerce?

FITLE is revolutionizing e-shopping, allowing customers to virtually try on clothes on their own bodies from home. When we buy clothes in a physical store, we try on clothes and we can immediately see whether they fit us or not before we pay for them. This is not possible in an online store and we have to buy blind, so to speak.

Today, FITLE offers the customer exactly this option: he or she has the opportunity to try on the garment virtually. This has the advantage for the customer that he or she no longer has to buy “blind” and reduces the returns rate for the store operator. Thanks to the precision of FITLE, the user can see exactly where on the body the garment is rather tight or wide, which considerably increases their confidence in the purchase. This is why both the buyer and the brand benefit from the FITLE experience.

How did you found the company and when did you realize that the “Dressing Avatar concept” had great potential?

It’s a fact: eCommerce is currently exploding and will continue to grow in the coming years. Sales will multiply by a factor of 2.5 by 2020. One problem remained in fashion eCommerce: you couldn’t try on the clothes before you bought them.

I realized the potential of “fitting technology” when I realized that I myself send back 50% of the clothes I order. Mainly because the dress size doesn’t fit. Not being able to try on the clothes beforehand and then sending them back in 1 or 2 out of 4 cases is very frustrating. These two factors convinced me that FITLE was needed. That is why I have spent the last 2 years forming the best R&D team to finally solve this problem with FITLE.

What has your company achieved so far and what is your business model?

FITLE is the world’s first technology that allows users to create their virtual double with just a few pictures. This double can then be used to try on clothes virtually. We launched the app in September (2015) and the FITLE technology is already available on several fashion brand websites. FITLE is completely free of charge for the end user. We offer two services to brands: A virtual fitting room function and a solution for the automatic transmission of measurements for online tailor shops.

Users can already use FITLE on the following websites: Swann & Oscar, Albance, Lib & Stael and Zéphyr & Flore

What are the biggest challenges you are currently facing?

We have 4 main challenges at the moment

1. The technology: Everyone dreams of this technology, but it is very complex technology with high requirements in almost all areas. In addition, the solution must be easy to use for both the user and the brand. We are proud of what we have already achieved and think that FITLE is at least a year ahead of the competition.
2. The market: We first have to “educate” the market a little and create more awareness for our brand. We have to make it clear to brands that they can achieve higher sales with our technology while at the same time reducing the returns rate.
3. The users: The users must know and use the FITLE app and the FITLE technology.
4. The financial aspect: We need enough funding to be able to further develop the first 3 points.

Are there markets that are also interesting for you in addition to classic fashion eCommerce?

Yes, we see two other markets with potential:

Thanks to FITLE, users can, for example, track and document the changes in their body over a longer period of time.

The uniform market: Every company whose employees wear uniforms must measure the mass at some point. For example, postal companies or airlines have thousands of employees who wear company uniforms. With FITLE, measuring can be made much easier, saving time and money

What does the future hold for FITLE?

We are convinced that in the next 5 years, everyone will have an avatar to buy clothes online or to track their body. Our clear goal is to be the market leader. To achieve this, we are working hard to provide the best technology in this area and offer the best user experience. Fashion eCommerce is changing and we will be a central player in this change.

Charles, thank you very much for your time.