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Shacking Up

Dedication, true entrepreneurship — and an
eye for style — bring a Michigan native home
to create her own fashion-business fairy tale.

LYNNE KONSTANTIN I CONTRIBUTING WRITER

achel Schostak found a hole in
the fashion market. Not an easy
feat in itself.
But now, with Styleshack
(styleshack.com ), she has filled it in a
clever and chic way that will appeal
to everyone, from fashion mavens to
women who hate to shop yet need to
create a wardrobe. And she aims to boost
awareness of and business for local
clothing boutiques while she's at it. Did we
mention her brand-new business is based
in Detroit, further supporting the local
economy?
"I've always known I wanted to be
in fashion, since I was a little girl," says
Schostak, 26. "And I thought that New
York City was the only place to do that."
So following her freshman year at the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the
Farmington Hills native and Adat Shalom
member transferred to New York's Fashion
Institute of Technology, where she studied
fashion merchandising and marketing.
While she was there, she interned at
Theory, a contemporary fashion brand
founded by partners Andrew Rosen and
Elie Tahari (who have since sold it), where
Schostak immersed herself in all aspects
of the company. "As an intern, I was able
to get a taste of everything, from men's
and women's sales to production to
marketing," says Schostak.
She worked as a styling assistant,
working as the right-hand woman
for fashion stylists on photo shoots,
accompanying them to trade shows and
learning the market.
After graduating, Schostak moved to
Chicago, the home of a friend with whom
she had reconnected from her Camp Tanuga
days — and whom she eventually married.
Schostak and her husband, Jeffrey
Schostak, a fourth-generation family
member of Schostak Brothers & Co.,
eventually returned to Detroit, armed with
an expertise in a business — she would
like to add — that need not be based in
New York City to thrive.
While working for Denise llitch Designs,
it was part of Schostak's job (plus a
favorite pastime) to scope out local
boutiques, and she realized that Metro
Detroit is brimming with stylish shops that
simply need a boost in profile.
"Shopping online is just easier for a lot
of people, but then you are confined to
department stores or larger e-commerce
entities," Schostak says. "It's really hard to
discover local boutiques online, and often
that's where the really unique merchandise
is." So she began thinking about how to
bridge this gap.

34

February 13 • 2014

Rachel Schostak, founder of Styleshack, is Edgy Chic.

In January 2013, Schostak launched
Styleshack as an online style quiz and
resource, but with grand ideas for
expansion. For help, she applied to Bizdom,
a startup accelerator founded by Detroit-
based entrepreneur Dan Gilbert. "The first
time I applied, I was rejected," Schostak
says. "So I spent the next nine months
working to prove that I could do this. It
forced me to get into gear."

Wain Madame

She likes to make a bold statement with bright colors,
rarnatic jewelry and accessories. She is not afraid to take
lien risks with the flashy pieces within her wardrobe. She
loves metallic materials—silver gold and lots of g dz

She also began working with Michal
Nodel, a product and project manager
with a tech background. "Our partnership
came about very organically, and she
helps to oversee the technical aspect of
Styleshack."
Ready to give it another shot, Schostak
returned to Bizdom; this time, she was
accepted. Offering funding, mentorship,
business training, even working space
in its Downtown offices in the former
Arts League Building, the three-month
entrepreneurial boot camp gave
Schostak the business expertise she
needed.

Relaunched in November, the constantly
evolving Styleshack is, at its core, on a
mission to connect shoppers to local
boutiques, unique designers and trends.
Visitors can take a quick-and-easy
interactive style quiz, with photos that
Schostak carefully curated and researched
according to industry standards to
personalize each user's experience and
simulate working with a stylist. Nine
style archetypes, including Boho Chic,
Edgy, Classic, Professional Chic and more,
are illustrated with color-saturated and
engaging ink drawings to bring a user-
friendly, manageable and inspiring take on
fashion, style and shopping.
Once you determine your style, you can
customize your own shopping experience.
Reap inspiration from your recommended
archetype (or any of the others) to check
out items of a specific style, or browse
favorite brands and a slew of local
boutiques and trusted online retailers.
You can order purchases directly from the
site — even make a retail reservation to
have an item held in a store for pickup.
Save items to your virtual closet. Read
Styleshack's blog, Style Notes, for tips on
trends and how to build a wardrobe to suit
your lifestyle.
Looking for a pink pump? It's a simple
search away. Need help comparing denim
jeans to find your best fit? Done. Want to
learn the history of Chanel's iconic jacket?
Watch the video with a simple click. Or use
the site as a resource to support vetted
local boutiques and designers, including
Rear Ends in West Bloomfield, Bella Mia
in Plymouth, Livonia-based Jenna Kator
Handbags and more.
"In addition to selling our service to
boutiques, who gain valuable marketing
and online real estate, we also want to
attract our own shoppers and keep them
with us through information, special
offers and a fun experience," Schostak
says. "Traffic is increasing every day, and
we are constantly adding new features,
like recommending products by size or
locations, new shops, new articles. I'm
always in the building phase."
But the top priority is to be user-friendly
for everyone. "I'm younger, and have a
fashion background," — her style archetype
shifts between Edgy Chic and Classic —
"but I also want my 70-year-old aunt to be
able to find a great sweater or a cool black
dress in Downtown Detroit."

❑

4.1.•=4.

A page from the website describes the Glam Madame, one of its nine style
archetypes

Rachel Schostak will be writing a
monthly fashion column for the JN.
Look for it in next week's issue.

