Alta, named after its founder, Jenny Wang, continues to emphasize its approach to fashion as technology. Last year the company raised $11 million in a round led by Menlo Ventures to give users the ability to create digital wardrobes and try on clothing using personal avatars. This concept is inspired by the film “Clueless,” in which Cher controls style with computer tools – and Alta replicates that experience using artificial intelligence and modern styling technologies.
The round featured notable investors and participants, including models Jasmine Tookes and Karlie Kloss, as well as Anthropic’s Anthology Fund and Rent the Runway co-founder Jenny Fleiss.
TechCrunch spoke with Wang during New York Fashion Week to discuss how the company has evolved since its launch.
The product is available in app stores, and Time and Vogue named it one of the most promising innovations of the previous year. Since its release in 2023, the service has generated more than 100 million looks. Alta supports partnerships with Poshmark and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), with new collaborations ahead.
“Alta’s own app also features thousands of brands from which users can buy.”
“Alta’s own app also features thousands of brands from which users can buy.”
Joint Integration and a Vision for the Future
Wang explained that she became acquainted with the Public School teams – Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne – through the founder of Poshmark, who acts as an angel investor for both brands.
“Technology should be viewed as a partner in modern business”
After a long hiatus, Public School returned to activity during NYFW, and the brand’s founders say they have found their voice again. “We need to view technology as a partner in business today,” Chow adds, “this is not 2015,” so the team aims to use the latest technologies and AI not as a design tool, but as a means of storytelling and interaction with consumers, so the brand experience remains accessible even without personal presence.
This is also one of the first cases where a designer integrates a personal avatar and styling technology directly on their own site. At the end of Public School’s product page, a Style by Alta icon appears, redirecting customers to Alta to style their own avatars and test how the brand’s clothing would look on them before purchase.
Users of the standalone Alta app can also access Public School through the app itself. The goal is to integrate more such experiences across various sites and platforms so that users can try on clothes on the Alta Avatar even beyond the app itself.
Currently, consumers can add a desired purchase to the Alta list, after which they can style looks and try them on their avatar. This applies to all sites except Public School, and aims to open a new path of interaction with the brand and spur purchases.
In the fashion industry, giants like Zara and Balmain are already experimenting with digital avatars. Alta stands out because its avatars can instantly “dress” many more items – at least eight – in a matter of seconds, unlike Zara, where you typically have to wait about two minutes and four items. Demand for virtual avatars is rising, and Alta blends the Clueless-style technology concept with the real business of digital styling.
According to Wang, the consumer-facing Alta app acts as the wardrobe’s “cosmetics” with a focus on personal style, while the enterprise experience allows trying on items on an existing Alta avatar. She envisions a future where Alta serves as a personal identifier for the next level of shopping using AI and agent-based commerce – when your style becomes data for personalized offers.
For true agent-based commerce, a shared data layer is needed: a user’s wardrobe, past purchases, avatar, and physical measurements – all this forms a unique Alta platform for personalized styling solutions.