In episode 54, Dana Todd, the founder of custom-made fashion marketplace Balodana, shares how she started the business after a successful career as CMO and tech start-up founder. Dana talks about how tech-based, made-to-measure, on-demand clothing is the bright future of apparel manufacturing and our closets.
Dana Todd is a 3-time founder, recovering CMO, and digital innovation pioneer with 20+ years making digital experiences for humans, including a patent for SEO technology. In 2019 she launched Balodana, the first multi-brand marketplace that is exclusively women’s made-to-measure clothing. Balodana brings the skills of independent tailors and designers worldwide to US consumers who want to nail the art of the first impression. Women feel transformed, confident and beautiful in custom made clothing – it affects them on an emotional level like no other clothing purchase.
Dana became obsessed with custom clothing first as a means of delivering body fit and unique style, and then as a means to reduce wasteful garment production worldwide by scaling on-demand manufacturing. She is committed to accelerating innovation and collaboration in the fashion and garment production industry. She is a frequent speaker at global digital events and on fashion tech panels.
Balodana is the only clothing marketplace that inspires and perfectly fits women who want to master the art of the first impression. They represent designers and tailors worldwide who specialize in women’s made-to-measure clothing. Online shoppers choose from hundreds of custom style patterns, from underwear to evening wear, in all price ranges and categories. In an era in which consumers expect personalized experiences, tailor-made clothing is not only personal but the most sustainable way to buy new garments today.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why Dana founded a fashion start-up after a career in marketing and technology
- What Dana learned from the research she did before starting Balodana
- How knowing your measurements gives you power over your wardrobe
- How Balodana merges fashion and technology to create a new business and manufacturing model
- The common misconceptions about made-to-measure clothing
- How made-to-measure designers can offer their styles through Balodana’s marketplace
- The custom-made customer experience of Balodana
- The projects Balodana is working on to standardize production to allow for custom fit and creativity
- The fashion tech Dana’s most excited about right now
People and resources mentioned in this episode:
- Balodana website
- Dana’s email
- Balodana Instagram
- Dana’s LinkedIn
- 3DLook – virtual fitting room technology
- TrueToForm – digital avatars from a smartphone body scan
- Pleneri – digital industry infrastructure
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