On Friday, August 6, 24 companies banded together on Facebook to become one voice that yelled in unison “You Can Design Your Own!” The mass customization movement is making people rethink the way they purchase. Whether it’s designing your own engagement ring or designing your own hamburger (thanks Burger King). YOU have spoken and YOU want it YOUR way.

Carmen Magar founder of Chocri, a site that lets you design your own chocolate bars (yum!), organized the campaign. Open Runway was just one of 24 companies that purchased and ran a DYO themed Facebook ad for the campaign with the goal being to reach 8 million impressions and  spread awareness of the Co-Creation and Design Your Own trend. The movement gained traction after various news outlets picked the story up.

The result was better than anyone could have imagined, in total the campaign generated over 14 million impressions. With just $50, our ad itself garnered hundreds of thousands of impressions, lots of clicks and many new sign-ups for our private beta. All in all we were thrilled with the outcome.

Here is the complete list of companies that participated in the campaign:

Open Runway – DYO Women’s fashion shoes

Blank Label – DYO Men’s Dress Shirts

Chocri – DYO Chocolate Bars

Spreadshirt – DYO T-Shirts

LaudiVidni – DYO Handbags

Gemvara – DYO Jewelry

Shoes of Prey – DYO Shoes

Wagner Skis – DYO Skis

Gemkitty – DYO Jewelry

Snaptotes – DYO Bags

Element Bars – DYO Energy Bars

YouBars – DYO Protein, Energy, and Nutrition Bars

Red Moon Pet Food – DYO Pet Food

Rooms By You – DYO Home Decor

Lindgolf – DYO Golf Clubs

Artaic – DYO Illuminated Mosaic

Melboteri – DYO Bags

IndiDenim – DYO Jeans

Kidlandia – DYO Kids Gifts

Maguba – DYO Clogs

Personalwine – DYO Wine

Proper Cloth – DYO Dress Shirts

Design A Tea – DYO Tea

Selve – DYO Shoes

Before we became finalists of MassChallenge and moved into our new digs at Fan Pier, we were renting space over at the CustomMade headquarters in Cambridge – what will forever fondly be known as Open Runway’s  first home away from home.  Sharing space with a team that shares the same mission and passion about beautiful design and customization as we do was great fun and we were very sad to leave.

The "Missis Key" chair made out of 561 keys

On our last day at CustomMade, I sat down with Mike Salguero, co-founder of CustomMade, and had him tell me about the past, present, and future of CustomMade. To give you a little background, CustomMade is an online marketplace that connects buyers looking for custom made furniture to skilled artisans who can make it for them.

At CustomMade.com, artisans set up profiles where they can display a gallery of their work, check their page views, and add listings. “The idea is to give artisans the tools to market themselves more effectively.” Much like how Open Runway gives exposure to emerging designers, CustomMade gives artisans an opportunity to showcase their designs.

Shoppers looking to buy a custom made piece of furniture can go to CustomMade.com and search by artisan or by location.  Once they have found an artisan they like they can contact them about a custom job. With thousands of beautiful and unique works on display for inspiration, it’s easy to spend a few hours on this site dreaming up ideas for furnishing or remodeling your home, like I did.  The possibilities are endless.

One of my favorite pieces that I came across was the “Missis Key” chair  by artisan, MasterandMargaritaArt which was made out of 561 recycled keys. How cool is that?

Whale Tail Desk

Another breathtaking piece was the gravity defying cantilevered design of the “Whale Tail” desk made by Wiggers Custom Furniture. This desk was inspired by the natural form of the rare North Atlantic Right Whale, as it breaches in preparation for a deep dive.

CustomMade as it exists today started as an idea to take an already profitable business and bring it to new heights. In 2009, founders Mike Salguero and Seth Rosen purchased CustomMade with the intent to revolutionize the way custom products are bought and sold. Their hard work catapulted CustomMade from a community of just 350 woodworkers to one that includes over 1,000 high caliber artisans.

In the future, CustomMade plans to be the source for everything custom. Starting with custom in the home: furnishings, rugs, carpets, and drapes. Then adding custom in the garage: bikes, cars, and boats. And finally custom for the person: shoes, pants, and shirts. According to Mike “the idea is that once someone has had one thing custom-made they are going to want everything custom-made.” We couldn’t agree with him more.

Recently  the Open Runway team went on the road for our first formal fit testing for our upcoming collection of DYO (design your own) shoes. The 200 women over at Communispace,  a community-driven marketing agency in Watertown, MA,  invited us to commandeer their cafeteria for the day and set up shop.

The event (aka The Great Shoe Try-On), took place to make sure that the shoes fit to true-to-size. Although we will be offering a full guarantee on all orders, we want to do everything possible to make sure customers are wowed in every way when they open the box of shoes that they created and that includes making sure the fit is right.

The response was outstanding; we couldn’t even unload the sample shoes before the ladies were all over them.  Like sharks with blood in the water these women were ready to attack when they saw the hot new Open Runway styles!  In fact, they spent so much time trying on shoes that productivity at Communispace actually dipped (sorry Commispace!).

Ladies of all shapes and sizes were in a shoe trying frenzy. Even the ones who didn’t have the right shoe size were trying to squeeze into the heels. We had lots of varieties to choose from including stilettos and wedges with leopard print, fishskin – all design options that shoppers can choose when designing their shoes using Open Runway’s online design studio. Our lime green wedges were definitely a crowd favorite “I’m a sucker for a nice pair of wedges, and these are so comfortable” said Charlotte Birkner, a Communispace team member.

While we were there to test the fit of the shoes, we also wanted to get some feedback on the Open Runway concept. Charlotte said “The ability to design your own shoes is great for someone like me. I have trouble finding cute shoes in my size, so the idea of being able to design your own sounds fantastic. It’s also perfect for those times when you have the perfect dress but can’t find the perfect pair of shoes to match.”

The event at Communispace reinforced that women love to express their personal sense of style. “I express myself through fashion. What I have on and how I present myself is very important to me,” said Lindsay Hutton, another Communispace team member. “That is why I really like the fact that I’ll be able to design my own shoes.”

The feedback we received was great, so thanks again to all you ladies at Communispace for taking time out of your day. Open Runway is going to be doing some more demos and focus groups. Interested in participating? Send us an email!

A guest blog post by Personal Wardrobe Stylist, Mahjuba

Revamp your black pump to a Platform pump

Fall 2010 brings us a luxe color palette on Footwear. Many designers are using muted colors of black, gray, dark blue, light purple and beige.  Exquisite trimmings on Footwear are the highlights of this season. We are seeing details such as lace up, feathers, fur trim, leopard and zebra prints.

There are 3 particular trends that I am insanely mad about.  These trends can instantly update your wardrobe essentials and help you stand out.  The first being a Flat over the knee boot. This is a great look for walking around town shopping on a casual day.  For a more fashion forward look, choose a high boot with fur trim. Last but not least, revamp your black pump to a Platform pump.

Some of the other styles seen on the runway for fall are extreme height, corrugated soles, booties, and leather and metal finishing’s.

Zebra prints are hot on the runway

Soon you will be able to design your own shoe on Open Runway. Go for trims and textures that represent your style. Choose a style that will bring your wardrobe to the next level. The best part of designing your own shoe is the individuality and thought you have put into your design. When building a shoe wardrobe I start with the classics. I then will add pieces that are right on trend and current. Building a shoe wardrobe is essential and takes time. At times choosing a fabulous stand out shoe is just as fun as choosing a fabulous piece of jewelry. It goes hand and hand.

Make the most of designing your own shoe and most of all have fun doing it.

Learn more about Personal Wardrobe and Fashion Stylist Mahjuba

We are excited and honored to have been chosen as a finalist of MassChallenge – the world’s largest global start up competition. We are one of 110 companies chosen to move on to the accelerator stage. The competition was designed to accelerate the development and success of high-growth, high-impact new businesses, while stimulating job creation across Massachusetts and beyond.

As a finalist, for the next 3 months we’ll receive free office space in a brand new building overlooking Boston and the harbor at Fan Pier in South Boston (how will we get any work done with such an amazing view?) and mentors assigned to us. In October, an expert panel will identify 20 startups to share the 1 mllion in prize money.

We are looking forward to getting help refining our business and getting access to some top notch mentors.

There are 3 stages of the competition. First we had to send in an executive summary which got judged and rated. There were 450 or so applicants and we were one of 300 companies that made it to the next round.  The 2^nd stage had us pitch to 3 judges last week.  We were quite happy  with how our  pitch went. The judges were very engaged and genuinely interested and excited about what we were doing.  Of the 300 companies that pitched, 110 of the world’s most promising startups  (including Open Runway) were chosen to move on to the 3rd stage – the Accelerator phase.

We are very excited about how things are moving along for Open Runway. Being an entrepreneur has its highs and lows, but the highs always make up for the lows. This is definitely one of those highs that reinforces why entrepreneurship is so addictive.

You can read about the contest here:

http://www.masschallenge.org/blog/masschallenge-finalists-announced-today-press-release-event

These days it seems like every celebrity has their own fashion line.  Everyone from Jessica Simpson all the way to P. Diddy is jumping on the fashion bandwagon and designing lines that express their style so why can’t you? It’s not like these celebrities are more qualified fashion experts by any stretch of the imagination (see: Jersey Shore’s JWoww debut her Filthy Couture line).

So what’s stopping you from designing your own style? With more and more online retailers offering co-created and custom-made apparel, the answer is nothing!

Open Runway is just one of many fashion companies embracing the co-creation trend. We’re revolutionizing the way women shop for fashion by empowering both shoppers and emerging designers  to design and purchase their own dream shoes.

Here are some others you should know about:

Styleshake lets women design a wide variety of apparel. If you are looking to design your own dress, shirt, top or accessory, StyleShake is the place to be.

How it works: Shoppers  can mix and match a large assortment of patterns, specify the color and fabric, and have the choice of ordering their design in a standard size or paying a little extra for their made-to-measure service. Receive it in 10 days or less.

Price: Dresses start at $97

Why we like it: We all need that special dress for a special occasion and the ability to design your own dress can really make an occassion that much more memorable.

Blank-Label provides a platform to design your own men’s dress shirts.

How it works: Customize the fabric, collar, cuff, placket, pockets, shoulders, buttons and more on your personalized dress shirt. Receive your shirt in 3 weeks or if you’re in a hurry get it 10 days using their express service.

Price: Dress shirts start at $45

Why we like it: Men’s dress shirts are normally pretty simple, so the ability to mix things up with different color collars, buttons, and shoulder straps can really help you stand out from the crowd.

The Boston Connection: Talking with Fan Bi (@lifeofbi) is always an awesome experience. Check out his blog to hear the latest. He and the team relocated to Shanghai for the summer for a number of different reasons – check it out. Danny Wong (@dannywong1190), Blank Label’s lead evangelist, is knocking Blank-Label’s PR out of the park.

Gemvara is an online jewelry retailer that lets you customize each piece to your liking. They offer a wide variety of jewelry from pendants to engagement rings.

How it works: Find a style you like and customize it by choosing your gemstone and precious metal. Receive your design in 3 weeks or less.

Price: Price varies depending on piece

Why we like it: With thousands of bling to choose from, you  can save yourself hundreds of hours combing through stores looking for something unique and perfect for your sweetie. At Gemvara you can design a perfect engagement ring that truly expresses your love.

The Boston Connection: Matt Lauzon (@mattlauzon) , Gemvara’s founder, is a great asset to the Boston start-up community. We’ve met Matt a number of times and had the pleasure of  speaking on a Gemvara (known as Paragon Lake at the time) sponsored Mass Customization Panel titled “How Mass Customization Can Create Value & Profit.” at the end of 2009.

IndiDenim offers made to measure jeans designed by you.

How it works: Through their online Jean Builder you can choose your fabric as well as features such as the rise, fly, hem stlyes and more AND have them custom made to fit your exact dimensions and. They offer both Men’s and Women’s jeans.

Price: Jeans start at $145

Why we like it: If you’re anything like me, you spend hours trying to find that perfect pair of jeans. With the ability to create the perfect pair of jeans, it almost seems silly to waste time going to the store.

The DYO revolution is upon us. It’s time for your voice in fashion to be heard!

Open Runway is all about putting the creative power into your hands so that’s why we’re very excited to tell you about The Cobblettes, a shoemaking workshop that does just that.

Emily Putterman-Handler, known as the Shoemaking Guru of NYC and Kimberly Ayoung, an attorney by day and a burgeoning shoe designer by night are the dynamic duo behind The Cobblettes.  As The Cobblettes, Emily and Kim will be teaching intensive two-day beginner shoemaking workshops, starting this month in NYC. From there Emily and Kim plan on taking the workshop on the road across the US including Washington DC, Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.

Snake skin mule designed by 1 of Emily's students

The workshop is for aspiring shoe designers who want to learn the art of designing and cobbling shoes from scratch without the financial burden of enrolling into a fashion institute. In the workshops, students will learn how to create a mule by hand. They can choose the type and color of fabric and adorn them with buttons, ribbons, buckles and more. “Your imagination is your only limitation,” Emily says.

Adorn your own accessories!

Emily Putterman is an award winning shoe designer and shoemaker who has been teaching shoemaking classes for over 20 years at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Pratt Institute. Her students, who come from diverse professions such as magazine editors, physicians, fashion design students and hedge fund managers, have gone on to work for well known designers including Kenneth Cole, Steve Madden and Coach and some such as Kristina Kozak and Andrew Chesler have started their own lines.

The classes are for both serious designers and people looking to start designing. One obvious advantage of the class is that students will be able to walk away at the end of the workshop in a pair of handcrafted shoes they created themselves, but the far greater benefit is the craft of shoemaking each student will leave with.  The techniques taught in the workshop do not require any special machinery which means students can continue to hone their craft and make shoes at home even after the class.

Shoes Designed by students of Emily's

Open Runway is excited to be giving graduates of The Cobblettes workshop the opportunity to promote and sell their creations.  As part of the workshop, students will be invited to submit their designs to Open Runway’s ongoing, open call design contests. Winning designs will actually get put into production and sold on Open Runway’s website.  “The chance for a student to have their designs manufactured and actually sold is a dream come true to many,” says Kim.  With an emphasis on promoting emerging designers, Open Runway will provide the platform to make that dream a reality.

Visit The Cobblettes, to sign up for a workshop:

http://www.shoemakingclasses.com/

We’ve let department stores and apparel companies dictate what was fashionable for too long. Now its time for you fashionistas to decide for yourself what’s in style. At Open Runway we’re all about democratizing fashion by empowering shoppers to co-create their own style and giving designers a community to showcase and sell their designs.

Open Runway is a fashion 2.0 retailer changing the way women shop via a social commerce experience. Open Runway connects shoppers to emerging designers through crowdsourced design contests, and empowers shoppers to customize and purchase their own made-to-order fashion using our interactive design studio. We’re starting with shoes but we’re not stopping there. Soon you’ll be able to co-create all sorts of fashion items including handbags, apparel and more.

Designers – are you looking to get your designs in front of shoppers? Submit a design to one of our ongoing design contests and promote yourself by sharing your creations on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, everywhere! Get your friends to vote for your design on OpenRunway.com.   If your design is chosen by the Open Runway community and team, we’ll put it into production, co-brand it with your name, and sell it around the world.You’ll be awarded a cash prize and have your profile featured on OpenRunway.com.

Fashionistas – Didn’t go to fashion school? Can’t sketch? Not to worry! Not only will you be able to discover up and coming designers and vote on your favorite designs by participating in our design contests, but you too can have the opportunity to “play designer” by using our interactive design studio to design your own dream shoes and express your personal style. Choose from a wide assortment of styles and then make them your own by choosing your material, heel, trim and more. We’ll make your shoes to order and deliver them to your doorstep in just a few weeks. While you wait for your dream shoes to arrive, you can share your creations with Open Runway’s community of fashionistas and critique and comment on each others designs. Our idea is to build a vast vibrant community where shoppers and designers can interact with one another and define the brand.

We have a lot of exciting things in store for all you designers and fashionistas out there. Open Runway is getting ready to launch real soon so check back or join our newsletter at www.openrunway.com to stay up to date.