Crowdsourced clothing.

With the explosion of online user generated content - Youtube videos, Facebook groups, and of course blogs, we are now witnessing the development of the "YouDesign" movement. The two areas where such "crowdsourcing" seems particular active are T-shirts and shoes.

Threadless started in Chicago with a T-shirt contest. From an initial $500 investment in 2000 it is now a multi-million dollar business ($6.2 millions in 2005). Aspiring designers can submit a design and earn $2500 if their design is chosen for print, then another $500 per reprints. The resulting T-shirts are priced between $15 and $25 clearly seem suitable to a youthful rather than mature audience. In any event, I love the unconventional looking models.

Another outlet for creative minds is Ryz from Portland, Oregon which runs a weekly contest to choose the best design for slip-on shoes. "Ryz" stands for "rise to the challenge". Again, the target audience strikes me as students rather than 40+ women although the shoes sell for $59.99, not cheap for canvas shoes and I can't say I'd want to be seen in them.

For more feminine shoes, try Canadian web company Dreamheels. Designs are chosen in monthly online contests and printed on white high-heeled pumps. The website lets you see the shoes from different angles and vote for your favourite, which is quite fun. Despite my best efforts, I could not figure out how to buy the shoes nor see how much they cost. Also, there was no indication of what the shoes are made of - can printed pumps be made of leather? Past winners include "Sunflower" and "Koifish" that I find quite beautiful:

French company Walking Resistance gives you a number of options for customised shoes. You can buy one of their designs (€70), create your own (€100) or send in leather shoes that you want customised.

The shoes remind me of French shoe designer Freelance's Nighties style, shiny and colourful but not necessarily something I would wear these days.  However, I like their men's shoes very much:

For more information or if you fancy designing your own T-shirt or shoes:
http://www.threadless.com/
http://www.ryz.com/
http://www.dreamheels.com/
http://walkingresistance.com/
I am indebted for this article to the NY Times which whetted my appetite for crowdsourced design: http://www.nytimes.com/