Custom, the bespoke fashion search engine is now 'Open for business'

London - Fashion lovers in search of that perfect item will know what a hassle most online search engines can be - type in 'leather jacket' and thousands of results come up which have to be filtered and shifted through one by one. Chances are that the search will also return the same results each time, even though styles and tastes differ. Enter Custom, the new personalized search engine which offers users a bespoke shopping experience.

Custom was developed to help remove the complexity, frustration and time lost when shopping for clothes online and is tailored to its users tastes, brand preferences as well as size. The website is a search engine that was solely built for one purpose, namely: "Creating a personal, relevant and beautiful experience for people who shop online for clothes," according to the co-founders behind Custom, Max Madile, a former Google Executive and his business partners Andy Weir and Robin Wong.

Custom aims to create "a personal, relevant and beautiful experience" for online fashion shoppers

Currently in beta-mode, users begin their Custom journey by selecting their favourite brands, then their size and the search engine does the rest of the work by suggesting items which may suit their style and taste. Results are shown in a visual, scrollable format to make it easier for the user to find the items they like. The search algorithm in Custom learns the consumer's style preference to offer a more personal shopping experience with each search and creates a constantly evolving image of what they like or dislike.

The more products a user likes or blocks, the more Custom learns and tailors search results to the users personal style preferences, a leap forward from current online search engine which offer generic search results. Custom suggests items it believes may suit a users style from its library of over half a million items from 4000 brands, ranging from luxury labels like Chloe to high street favourites such as Topshop and Zara.

CEO Madile, who previously was the Team Leader for Creative Labs at Google was frustrated by with lack of personalisation and the time consuming search process offered online when it came to online shopping and felt it could be customized. "My time at Google taught me the value of search as the starting point of any online shopping journey, as well as how important it is to simplify choices and help people to navigate the mass of information out there," said Madile.

Custom to offer a online fashion shop "just for you"

"That’s why the Custom experience begins with you and the search bar. Our vision is to create a shop just for you that always has your favourite brands, where everything fits and the rails reflect who you are." Co-founder Wong adds, "If there is one industry that should be getting personalisation right, it’s fashion but the sector has not yet 'de-cluttered' its online experience. Try searching for 'winter coat' on your favourite fashion site. Chances are you will get back thousands of options, crossing both genders, many over budget. Custom remedies this."

"We've got the best, most experienced engineers on our team to ensure we deliver an intuitive, accurate and satisfying shopping experience from a beautifully designed site. We’re just at the start of this exciting journey but we hope that as people use Custom they will realise how much better the online clothes shopping experience can be and will never go back to the old way of shopping."

Although the site is currently in beta mode, Custom will see the addition of a series of new features and options over the next few month, such as trend suggestions which may reflect a user’s personal style as well as personalized editorial content.