Founded by Jeanie Lau, ÀLA.HAUSSE is the world’s first AI and people-powered social shopping network. Since starting, the Toronto-based company has been committed to establishing a circular economy in a fun and engaging way.
“When I started, I was thinking there are so many resale and rental platforms, but there is no all-in-one solution. So, I decided to create that all-in-one platform,” says Lau in an interview with Setting Mind. ÀLA.HAUSSE’s app uses a unique AI and social networking approach, allowing people and brands to buy, sell, rent, and lend their old and new fashion items to each other.
Resale and rental apps have emerged in recent years in efforts to put a halt to the mass production of garments, which is currently responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions. ÀLA.HAUSSE wants to streamline the resale and rental process and help reduce this negative environmental footprint. “We serve small and independent designer brands, vintage boutiques, and people. Think of us as a combination of Bumble, Airbnb, Etsy, and Depop,” Lau adds.
How AI Can Help
To streamline this process, ÀLA.HAUSSE’s app employs AI for a more personalized experience. Lau believes it is the most efficient and effective way for people to find what they are looking for. ÀLA.HAUSSE recommends personalized selections of items, profiles, and businesses on your homepage by asking users questions about their interests, such as their favourite colour. “We push the right items to the right users, we push brands to users, and we push users to users, based on different kinds of matching systems and algorithms,” tells Lau.
The Vision Behind ÀLA.HAUSSE
With younger generations in mind, Lau hopes ÀLA.HAUSSE will aid in the ongoing battle for sustainability in the fashion industry. “Sustainability is a long-term thing. So if we are consistent and continue to market education, eventually, it will get to people and create change. That is something more intangible right now, but what we can do is create a positive, feel-good environment,” she explains.
What’s to Come
The company, which had its soft launch earlier this year, is set to release Version 2 in the upcoming weeks. The app will continue to encourage users and brands to rebuy, resell, reuse, and upcycle their personal “Clossets” (a combination of “clothing” and “assets”).
In Version 2, users can expect to see even more advanced features including a full-functioned e-commerce interface, seller analytics, an interactive map view to find nearby users, a roster of almost 3000 brands hosted in-app, and an algorithm that tracks the carbon emissions and water that you have saved. Many more can be discovered within the app. You can download ÀLA.HAUSSE on the App Store and Google Play for iOS and Android.
To learn more, visit ÀLA.HAUSSE’s website.
