Fashionspace.com new fashion platform

Iqons, the social networking community that aims to set fashion and creativity free of geographic and social limits is about to get a run for its money with the launch of the new fashion networking site called Fashionspace.com. Myspace, the social networking site that proved a hit for upcoming musicians and bands, attracted a high volume of fashion creatives but somehow there products were kept in the shadow of its focus on new music. Now young designers will be able to get noticed by fashion labels and launch their careers online.

Fashionspace.com was created by 23-year-old London fashion graduate Holly Bellm last October and is fast becoming to fashionistas what MySpaceis to amateur musicians, with 20,000 members in 120 countries frequenting the site every day.

"While I was studying fashion...MySpace was becoming the best place for (talent scouts) finding the next big band and unsigned artists," Bellm told Reuters. "I saw all this amazing creative talent around me and thought: why not do the same for fashion?" she said.

The Web site www.fashionspace.comfeatures photographs of models posing in higher selling members' designs, "Our core is to try to help young designers break into the market and we're looking at the tools to get them more sales," Bellm said.

Fashionspace allows members to swap, buy and sell their original designs, second-hand clothes and accessories, with a10 percent commission of every sale going to Bellm and her team.

Members can create personal profiles on the site with photographs to showcase their wares online.

"We provide a networking platform but more importantly the added elements of having your own personal boutique," Bellm said.

Bellm says a number of designer brands like British lingerie label La Senza have recently contacted her to launch their corporate profiles on the Web site as a means of networking with up-and-coming designers.

Many fashion students find it difficult to raise enough money to advertise their designs upon graduating use the Web site to attract potential employers.

The Web site's popularity has spread rapidly in the past six months, with a page on Facebook and word of mouth generating on average 800,000 page views a month.

The current demographic consists mainly of female fashion students between 15 and 25 years old who use the site to buy and swap clothes.

Source: Agencies Image: Fashionspace still