By: Chandler Presson By: Chandler Presson | August 17, 2022 | Style & Beauty,
“There are three real things that consumers look for when shopping,” says Julia Zhu, founder of NYC-based membership-only eCommerce shopping platform Few Moda. “Quality, price point and trendiness are all top of mind. I noticed that no existing retailers were satisfying all three demands, and Few Moda was born.”
Indeed, as a membership-based platform bringing retail directly from designer brands’ manufacturers at a fraction of designer prices, Few Moda is unlike any existing eCommerce platform. With the newest trends instantaneously hitting our Instagram and TikTok feeds, fashion seems to move faster than ever these days. The result is an endless internal battle of wanting to indulge in trends but also invest in quality pieces that last more than two cycles in the wash all while not breaking the bank. Enter Few Moda, which provides high-quality trendy pieces produced by the same manufacturers as brands such as Zimmerman, Alice and Olivia, Reformation and more.
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Zhu started her career in finance, working in investment banking at Barclays and retail management at Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors. She realized her passion lie in retail, leading her to quit her job at Barclays and found Few Moda. “Originally, Few Moda was a wholesale business without our current membership model,” she shares. “I lacked connections in the supply chain, so I cold-called buyers from Nordstrom, Saks and other department stores until I found a buyer that loved the line. We then were carried on department stores and e-commerce sites such as ShopBop.”
Zhu accomplished the near-impossible and managed to break into the very small circle that is the back-end of the supply chain for luxury department stores. The experience increased her interaction with buyers and showcased just how powerful word-of-mouth can be in the retail business. The result? The platform’s current business model, which generates revenue through its memberships, allowing Few Moda to keep retail prices shockingly low as opposed to comparable brands. The manufacturer-to-consumer model allows Few Moda to skip the intermediary department stores, avoiding markups.
“Consumers can expect similar craftsmanship and fabrics as brands like Theory and Aritzia because our pieces are made by the same manufacturers,” explains Zhu. "The products are not the exact same, but are comparable." Few Moda’s design process references popular silhouettes and applies fabrics and prints sourced through high-end manufacturers, creating gorgeous, affordable pieces that we can’t get enough of.
Next up for Few Moda? A stunning new weddings collection, which includes 50 new styles per month, including gorgeous bridesmaid dresses and guest wear options, just launched. Next month, expect to see a cashmere-based line that will become your new staple this winter. Keep an eye out for the newly launched basics line including bodysuits, basic knits and more, which will continue to expand in the coming months. “We’re also currently exploring brick-and-mortar options, such as an experiential showroom, so that our members can see the product in person,” Zhu shares. We’ll be first in line when the brick-and-mortar opens, and until then, catch us wearing our Few Moda pieces all over Manhattan until further notice.
Photography by: courtesy of Few Moda