LOOKK, a new platform that connects young designers with consumers through an open social network, launches today with an impressive team of seed investors that includes Net-a-porter founder Carmen Busquets, Eden Ventures and 500 Startups founder Dave McClure.

LOOKK aims to fundamentally change the way young designers and labels enter the fashion market by providing a platform for them to showcase their designs to a community of fashion-lovers, all of whom have the opportunity to feedback on what they love and directly influence the items that are produced for sale within the LOOKK Webshop.

By providing an open network for designers to engage directly with consumers, LOOKK gives every new fashion graduate or aspiring designer the chance to be discovered and become successful on their own merits, making visible a section of the industry that has tough entry barriers to overcome. In turn, consumers are able to purchase unique, authentic garments in the knowledge they are supporting young, fresh talent.

Andreas Klinger, co-founder and COO of LOOKK, said: "Until now fashion has been a slow adopter of technology. LOOKK aims to change this by connecting new designers with consumers online and harnessing the power of social networks to give both groups a voice.  "Social media has completely changed how new fashion gets discovered. New trends and names now surface more often and quicker than retail and production cycles can adapt to. This leaves an untapped potential of new designers with proven demand but no ‘first steps' to market – LOOKK provides a solution for this."

Designers can upload a single design or showcase an entire collection with each item having the potential to be discovered. By garnering support from the LOOKK community as well as their own social networks, they can increase their level of exposure and in turn, have the opportunity to be identified by an expert fashion panel who, using data to estimate market demand, will ultimately choose which items are put into production. Once selected, LOOKK is responsible for the high-quality manufacturing, distribution and disbursement of the pieces, including all associated costs.

LOOKK is the brainchild of Tamas Locher, Andreas Klinger and Gilbert Wedam, who formerly founded Garmz, last year's winner of European micro seed fund, Seedcamp. As the original concept evolved to encompass a broader proposition and superior product, the team chose to rebrand with a name and style that better reflected the platform.

As well as Carmen Busquets, Eden Ventures and Dave McClure, LOOKK has also received seed funding from Kima Ventures and angel investors Sherry Coutu, Richard Titus and Tom Hulme.

From today fashion designers and fashion-lovers can log on to www.LOOKK.com

Read more fashion industry news archive from 2011:

2011 Fashion Articles 

January 2011 Fashion Articles 

February 2011 Fashion Articles 

March 2011 Fashion Articles 

April 2011 Fashion News Articles 

May 2011 Fashion Articles 

June 2011 Fashion Article Archive 

July 2011 Fashion Article Archive 

August 2011 Fashion Article Archive 

September 2011 Fashion Article Archive

Read more fashion articles from 2010: 2010 Archive Fashion Articles