On Feb. 2-3, 2013, Decoded Fashion produced the world’s first Fashion Hackathon, presented by Condé Nast – a competition in which 550 top engineers, graphic designers and entrepreneurs had only 24 hours to create an app or startup concept that solves a pivotal industry problem, and that would further the CFDA’s mission of “supporting the overall growth of American Fashion as a global industry.”
The top three teams presented their concept at the end of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The winning team, SWATCHit, a platform for connecting designers and artisans received $10,000 and the chance to have its app launched by the CFDA. Hackathon judges included Uri Minkoff, CFDA’s CEO Steven Kolb, Style.com’s Editor-in-Chief Dirk Standen, designer Zac Posen, and Gilt Groupe’s founder Alexis Maybank.
“It is one of the most diverse hackathons ever held in the United States – it includes 550 hackers with a variety of backgrounds, 45% of which are women,” said Decoded Fashion co-founder Liz Bacelar. “The goal was to educate Tech creators on the needs of the Fashion industry, while showing Fashion leaders the limitless possibilities of Tech.”
The Decoded Fashion Forum and Hackathon finale, on Feb. 14, featured an unprecedented mix of speakers at the intersection of Fashion and Technology. The event includes keynotes by Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley and high-fashion designer Zac Posen. Speakers include “The Face” Supermodel Coco Rocha, Fab.com’s Founder Bradford Shellhammer, and Candy Pratts Price. Decoded Fashion was the first technology event to ever take place in the tents at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
