Greg Selkoe launches men's wear site

Greg Selkoe, the founder of Karmaloop, has found a new endeavor. The businessman has partnered with Paul Judge and Cedric Rodgers, two Silicon Valley veterans, to build Curateurs, a new online men's retail concept.

Curateurs, which launched Thursday, highlights cultural influencers who curate galleries where they sell things they own, things they like, and things they created with other brands, which are occasionally their own.

“Kanye used to shop on Karmaloop and when we would send out an e-mail that showed what he bought, those items would sell out immediately,” said Selkoe to WWD. “We all see the power of celebrity and the power of fashion influencers.”

Greg Selkoe's new endeavor, Curateurs, launches

Selkoe believes that people shop based on two points of focus, either based on price causing them to shop at fast-fashion stores, or based on an aspiration lifestyle.

For the launch of the website, the company tapped rapper A$AP Ferg, creative director of Jeff Staple, and singer Ryan Leslie to select a range of items for their galleries. In addition to offerings from Staple Pigeon line, Staple is also selling his own Margiela watch bracelet for 400 dollars, and a piece of artwork from Micah for 12,000 dollars. Leslie's gallery features a 65,000 dollar Steinway piano. New Curateurs will be added to the site weekly, with each gallery existing for a limited period of time.

Each influencers' gallery features video, images, and a long form profile. Shoppers can save items they like to their profile, upload images, and make comments.

Influencers receive 70 percent from sale of their own things, and make a smaller commission when customers purchase items influencers like. Rather than using affiliate links, Curateurs works directly with vendors, with Curateurs sometimes handling the distribution, and other times the retailer will handle the distribution.

Eventually, the company hopes to have brick-and-mortar stores to continue their integration of commerce, content, and influencers.

image:curateurs.com