Students of Design seeks 300,000 pounds in funding

Students of Design (SODS) has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise 300,000 pounds to fuel its global expansion.

The Students of Design platform, which offers emerging independent designers “who wish to champion continuity and sustainability in their work” a marketplace to sell their collections. Each designer creates a brand profile from anywhere in the work and then they can market their items and complete sales transactions easily using the SODS integrated logistic set-up.

Founded by Lindy Staadecker, Anoesjcka Gianotti and Michelle Parekh, the marketplace has 50 designers worldwide using the platform, and a recent collaboration with Vivienne Westwood giving the brand more visibility and credibility. In addition, The University of the Arts, New Designers, Prince’s Trust and Google Campus London have already partnered with SODs to further its mission.

The marketplace has shown continued sales growth through the first year, with online retail sales predicted to double to 4.4 trillion dollars by 2021, the brand states, and that’s why it is looking to raise 300,000 pounds to grow the platform.

Students of Design has stated it will use 75 percent of the funds to grow its existing marketplace, while 25 percent will be used on its digital trade development, which it hopes will change the trade show landscape, by allowing users to ‘attend’ trade shows online using the latest virtual reality technology, saving brands valuable time and budget.

“Students of Design is an innovative marketplace that expertly caters for the new wave of independent artists, homeware and fashion designers who put sustainability at the forefront of their work. These designers can now offer a premium service, user experience and delivery method directly to customers which allows them to independently compete with large established companies with virtually no setup cost,” the company states. “The current retail system is failing emerging designers due to the small margins, while trade shows see dwindling footfall. We provoke a new way to think about online consumerism by opening doors to an entirely new global buying audience and by bringing significant change to the conception of trade show formats.”

The Crowdfunding campaign is about to launch on Crowdcube but potential investors can register their interest on the SODS dedicated investment page - sodscrowdfunding.com, with no obligation before the campaign goes live.

Image: courtesy of The Students of Design - co-founders Michelle Parekh, Anoesjcka Gianotti and Lindy Staadecker