AI helps stylists find the right men’s outfit

A German startup combines AI with human stylists to personalise men’s shopping

Spotted: A German company uses a combination of AI and real-life stylists to personalise men’s clothing shopping. Outfittery uses written and visual questionnaires to match customers to individual stylists and styles, and the AI algorithms learn more about each customer’s tastes the more they shop. This, in turn, helps inform the human stylists.

Customers can also upload photos and speak to their stylist over the phone. The stylist then curates individual outfits that are shipped directly to customers, who can keep whatever they like and send the rest back at no charge. Outfittery works with around 100 brand partners, including both popular brands and lesser-known labels.

The company has invested heavily in machine learning software that is used to help personalise the service. It was started in 2012 by Julia Bösch and Anna Alex after Bösch watched a frustrated friend spend $100 an hour for a personal shopper in New York. The business has received more than $62 million in outside investment, and last year had 500,000 customers in eight European countries.