Crowdfunded↲ Hong Kong Startup AURZA Will Give Every Woman The Perfect Dress
I’m a man, but even I can admit that what I wear influences how I feel. In a 2012 study on “enclothed cognition↲” researchers at Illinois’ Northwestern University that 96% of women “believed that what they wear affects how confident they feel.” If it’s true that “the clothes make the man” the maxim would appear to hold just as true↲ for women. It’s that kind of data that gave Stephanie Holland and Jessica Stephens their own confidence to co- AURZA, a Hong Kong based fashion startup.
“On a daily basis↲ two thirds of us can never find the perfect outfit that makes us feel amazing. We’re always compromising,” says Stephens, a former interior designer with over 15 years experience in the textile and design industry who acts as creative director. “With AURZA we give women a real alternative because our dresses are custom made• to suit↲ each woman’s style, personality and shape.” Sounds good enough, but haven’t custom-tailored clothes↲ for women been around for…oh, a few thousand years? What makes AURZA different is the investment the company has made in 3D body scanning and pattern development technology, ensuring a superior fit↲, and the over 300,000 different combinations available through their soon-to-launch website . The company is currently running a crowdfunding campaign which met its funding goal within two weeks of going live.
Co-Founders Stephens and Holland were best friends throughout their childhood and teenage years, but lost touch after high school. Years later after having children they happened to meet at a bus stop in Hong Kong. “We both loved clothes but were so frustrated we couldn’t find things that made our post baby bodies look great,” says Holland. “Everything seemed to be designed for younger, thinner ladies.”
They decided to use the resources that were at their door in Hong Kong and started working with local tailors↲ to develop the concept. At first the results were terrible. Their friends laughed at them and many in the industry told them that providing high-end↲, custom tailored women’s clothing that competes with the likes of↲ Reiss and Club Monaco was impossible. But they kept researching fit, pattern making and design, the right 3D scanning technology, and went through one manufacturer after another, trying to find one that was the right match. At the same time they began translating the vision online so that AURZA wouldn’t just be a local brand in Hong Kong, but could assist women in designing the perfect outfit↲ from the comfort of their home, regardless of where their home was.
The crowdfunding campaign using Indiegogo as the platform has been an outright success↲. AURZA currently ranks as the #6 most-funded startup ever in Hong Kong, and by the time the campaign is over AURZA may be in the top three. To put this in perspective↲, the average crowdfunding campaign raises $3,700, and 80% of Indiegogo crowdfunding campaigns fail to meet their funding goals . That’s despite most successful Indiegogo campaigns remaining open for 47 days, whereas Holland and Stephens deliberately chose to run for only 26 days.
The AURZA website will launch in early 2014 complete with advanced sharing, fit and design capabilities. In the meantime↲ the Indiegogo campaign is AURZA’s beta test. The company is using a prototype design builder to generate enough orders↲ to pressure test its standard operating procedures↲ and refine the model for next year’s launch↲.
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Key Terms…
- Crowdfunded ↔ Crowdfunded ↲
- Startup ↔ Startup (empresas jovens e extremamente inovadoras)
- enclothed cognition ↔ cognição de roupa ↲
- just as true ↔ tão verdadeiro ↲
- On a daily basis ↔ Diáriamente ↲
- outfit ↔ tudo que está se vestindo
- former ↔ ex
- custom made ↔ feito sob encomenda
- to suit ↔ para se adequar ↲
- custom-tailored clothes ↔ roupas sob medida ↲
- ensuring a superior fit ↔ garantindo um ajuste superior ↲
- available through ↔ disponível através
- soon-to-launch ↔ que lançará logo
- which met its funding goal ↔ que cumpriu o seu objetivo de financiamento
- of going live ↔ estando no ar
- throughout their childhood and teenage years ↔ durante toda a sua infância e adolescência
- but lost touch after high school ↔ mas perdeu o contato após o ensino médio
- post baby bodies ↔ corpos pós-gravidez
- tailors ↔ alfaiates ↲
- high-end ↔ de alta qualidade ↲
- custom tailored ↔ customizado
- the likes of ↔ empresas como ↲
- fit ↔ forma
- went through one manufacturer after another ↔ passou por um fabricante após o outro
- the right match ↔ a combinação ideal, que mais adeque
- a local brand ↔ uma marca local
- assist ↔ auxiliar
- outfit ↔ roupa ↲
- an outright success ↔ um sucesso imediato ↲
- most-funded ↔ mais-financiado
- in the top three ↔ entre os três primeiros
- To put this in perspective ↔ Para colocar isto em perspectiva ↲
- In the meantime ↔ Entretanto ↲
- enough orders ↔ pedidos suficientes ↲
- standard operating procedures ↔ procedimentos operacionais padrão ↲
- next year’s launch ↔ o lançamento do próximo ano ↲
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This intertwining of life and death is just as true for vegans as it is for hunters. ↔Este entrelaçamento de vida e morte é tão verdadeiro para os vegans, pois é para os caçadores. | |
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I’m trying to be more intentional to meditate on heaven on a daily basis. ↔Eu estou tentando me dedicar mais a meditar no céu diariamente. | |
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It’s important to find a form of exercise that suits your lifestyle. | |
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I work part-time, which suits me fine. | |
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Dark colours suit her best. | |
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The new hairstyle really suits her. | |
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There are many types of jigs, and each one is custom-tailored to do a specific job. ↔Existem muitos tipos de gabaritos, e cada um é feito sob medida para fazer um trabalho específico. | |
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Who would be responsible for ensuring it is operating when the utility needs it? ↔Quem seria responsável por garantir o seu funcionamento quando o utilitário precisar dele? | |
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The term is now however used more frequently to refer to tailors and carpenters. ↔O termo é agora, porém, cada vez mais utilizados para se referir aos alfaiates e carpinteiros. | |
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He has sold his shirts, made in Italy, at high-end boutiques across the country. ↔Ele já vendeu suas camisas, feitas na Itália, em boutiques de alto nível de todo o país. | |
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Both companies have retail partnerships with the likes of Target and Best Buy. ↔Tanto a Amazon quanto a Barnes & Noble são parceiras de varejo de redes como a Target e a Best Buy. | |
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I would urge all game developers to produce great new games, the likes of which we haven’t seen before. ↔Gostava de incitar todos os criadores a produzir novos jogos, diferentes do que já vimos antes. | |
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He piles everything on the counter, noticing a man in a security outfit staring. | |
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He’s obviously trying to point fingers at Aristide but never states it outright. ↔Ele está obviamente tentando apontar o dedo para Aristide, mas nunca afirma sem rodeios. | |
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To put this in perspective, look at just about any post-colonial country in Africa. | |
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A girl can wait for the right man to come along, but in the meantime that still doesn’t mean she can’t have a wonderful time with all the wrong ones! ↔Uma garota pode esperar pelo homem certo para ela, mas, entretanto, isso não significa que ela não possa se divertir com os errados primeiro! | |
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It asked whether there should be minimum requirements on the duration of orders. ↔Ele perguntou se deveria haver requisitos mínimos para o período de encomendas. | |
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Fortunately, the most ridiculous standard operating procedures usually don’t kill anyone. | |
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There was much silliness at this year’s launch event for the Bolton Food Festival. ↔Houve muita bobagem no evento de lançamento do ano para o Festival de Gastronomia de Bolton. | |
