All About Forma
We sat down with alumnus Lichota Seidewand and Aleeza Zinn at Forma, an up-and-coming virtual dressing room technology. The best part? The models are normal people that actual customers can relate to physically and ethnically.
It’s simple, you can either take a photo of yourself to upload or choose from a set of models in every shape and color. It gives you the ability to shop by brand, occasion, style, and the top looks on the site.
Now you can actually know what you’re getting while online shopping!
What’s amazing about Forma is that they have brands for everybody. They have brands that cater to maternity, plus-size, bridal, and many more! Some current brands available include: Kate Spade, BCBG, Cold Stone Fox, Madewell, Birdygrey, Brooks Brothers, Fendi, Gucci, and Free People.
Forma has shown that although this concept is futuristic, it is possible now, and it works now. People might be uncomfortable trying things on digitally and it can be overwhelming with so many choices, so Forma makes a personable shopping experience by showing you what items actually look like on you. The technology is being used by a wide age range of people from 15 to 50 years old. Currently, mostly millennials already use the site but it also makes people who aren’t comfortable shopping online more comfortable.
Seidewand, who graduated Elon in 2016, believes in this company because “I never saw anyone try something on digitally before and so it’s a really crazy concept at the time especially a few years ago. This will be real someday, I think COVID sent us a little faster into what we are doing because physical stores shut down,” he says.
Since Covid has hit, Forma’s virtual try-on technology has gained a lot of interest. People are more curious than ever about trying on something virtually, a technology we only see in movies. For over a year now people who feel uncomfortable going to stores aren't able to see their purchases on their bodies. Forma is a way for brands to still connect with customers.
Right now, Forma is the leading company using this technology. “We are the only company that uses photo-realistic try ons, the only other people in this space are 3D fittings. Brands pay us monthly to use our software so that their customers can use the ‘try on’ button,” Seidewand says.
Another aspect of Forma is celebrity try-on options, ‘celebrity styles’ is another way to search for clothing based on all your favorite people.
Executive intern and former Edge Editor in Chief Aleeza Zinn’s job is to conceptualize new ideas for how Forma can bring in new brands. Seidewand enjoys working with Zinn because of their shared Elon alumni connection which he shares was important to him to have at least one Elon intern. Seidewand says that since he moved to L.A. after graduation, the alumni connection that Elon has forged has made a great impact on him. He also wants to share that not everyone that moves to L.A. goes into the communications industry. Seidewand has been in the e-commerce industry and feels the alumni connection creates a nice “pull” for him.
With Forma, online shopping is less risky but way more fun.
Still not convinced? Here’s some more perks of shopping using Forma:
You can decide whether you want to buy an article of clothing or not by seeing it on yourself
Different skin tones look different in different colors and patterns so Forma let you choose from a wide range of models
Shopping practically becomes a video game experience
In times of Covid, Forma makes a shopping experience that is closer to reality. Sometimes you just have to try something on like when preparing for certain events such as a wedding.
Check out Forma on Instagram
Get in on the action and download the Forma app too!