Talu says that the process of shopping for what you see on Instagram is still broken. Instagram Shop came and went, meaning the only way to shop through the app directly is via advertisements. Affiliate links, managed by companies like LTK and ShopMy, give users a chance to shop links in bios, generating income for creators, but the setup and linking process can be clunky. And, when you see a stray street style shot while scrolling your Instagram feed, rarely do you know where to buy the pieces.
This is where OneOff comes in. Initially, Talu searched for a company that was bridging the gap to invest in. But they couldn’t find it. Instead, he and Maylack recruited a team of executives who have worked across the fashion and creator commerce spaces (including The Frankie Shop, Reformation, Glossier, Cameo and Live Nation) to launch their own solution.
The company raised initial funds earlier this year, onboarding investors including Pentas Ventures (Talu’s venture fund), the Hermès family office, Rob Lowe, Matt George (co-owner of Stussy and former CEO of Yeezy), Elliot Tebele (founder of Jerry Media), Lee Linden (founder of Quiet Capital) and Peter Muzzonigro (CEO of Dysrupt).
“There’s been a shift in how people discover what to buy in fashion over the past few years, we think OneOff and its team is well equipped to address the needs of today’s luxury fashion shoppers,” the Hermès & Lowe Family Offices (which often co-invest) said in a joint statement.
Launching in beta mode today, OneOff is pre-populated with about 100 creators, including Bieber, Bella Hadid and Sofia Richie Grainge, as well as stylist Dani Michelle and Unwell’s Alex Cooper, whose style users can search for. The team selected these creators by identifying the most searched-for celebrity style (via top-ranking Google data pulled for ‘X creator name – style’). Moving forward, new creators will be added each week, informed by user searches.
Those who are verified can earn affiliate revenue off the bat. “When we talk to any talent, they’re aware that every day, someone is searching for their name plus fashion; plus sweater; plus style; plus whatever,” Maylack says. “There’s this pervasive feeling with talent that they’re not monetising their actual trendsetting — other people are.” (The current revenue split on a sale is 10 to 25 per cent from the retailer to OneOff, which is split with the creator.)
