New Startup Plans To Revolutionize “Trunk Shows”

Flipping through the Form D filings yesterday, I came across one for something called Trunk Show Inc. Seems to have raised a $1.15 million VC round led by New Atlantic Ventures.

NAV isn’t talking – the company is in stealth mode – but I did a bit of digging because the name was intriguing:

In the fashion world, a trunk show is a special sale in which designers present new product directly to a select group of buyers (typically department store or boutique personnel). Trunk Show Inc. is hoping to put that process online – both for the masses and to better facilitate distribution to retailers.

The current plan is that Trunk Show Inc. would stream video of fashion shows to the masses. People then would be able to order direct and quick from the manufacturer (i.e., cut out the middle man). Store buyers also would be expected to use the service. Not only to order based on shows they didn’t attend in person, but also because the fashion industry’s antiquated supply chain protocol leads to long lag-times between catwalks and store racks.

Expect a public launch in Q1 2011. The company’s co-founders are New York-based fashionistas Aslaug Magnusdottir and Lauren Santo Domingo (contributing editor to U.S. Vogue).