AI is powering most aspects of our lives. This explains how Lucas Koren the founder & CEO of FMRU Clothing, a luxury clothing & accessories marketplace powered by artificial intelligence uses advanced but easy to use technology to measure the bodies of consumers digitally in under 1 minute when they upload two images of themselves, a front & side profile. FMRU (Fit Me Right Up) sells high-end designer brand products including Burberry, Gucci, Dior, Kenzo, Versace & 30+ more brands. He understands the struggles of not knowing what size to buy & the annoying hassles of returns, so he's on a mission to eliminate both, while simultaneously reducing the carbon footprint of the shopping industry. They're so excited to be the first clothing marketplace to use measuring technology of this magnitude to offer a much better online shopping experience for our users. We had an opportunity to interview Lucas and asked about his story, how he started his business and the future of FMRU clothing.
Tell us your story. Why did you start your business?
Early in 2018, while I was in my 4th year of University, I experienced concerning clothes shopping issues within a 5-day period that sparked my interest in finding a solution for the industry. First issue that week – Was my mom buying 2 different sizes of the same shirt online for my autistic sister who cannot physically go out and try clothes on. She then just took the other shirt that didn’t fit and gave it to a friend with kids that could use it. Second issue that just two days later – My aunt was buying clothes for my late grandfather who at the time was unwell and couldn’t go out to buy clothes himself. She had bought 3 sizes of the same clothes, only to return those that didn’t fit (only 50% of returnable items are salvageable by the retailer selling it). And the third issue only a day later was a friend bought something on Zaful a month earlier & it had never arrived & they wouldn’t give her a refund. These are three terrible user experiences that are not only frustrating but also contribute to the industries massive carbon footprint and I thought there had to be a better way.
These 3 issues in the same week made me dive deep into finding better solutions to shop online but I found no success. Fast forward 2 and a half years – now graduated University and running a profitable E-commerce Marketplace powered by Artificial Intelligence to give the very best online shopping user experience in the world. We measure our users digitally & in under a minute, comparing these measurements to our products size charts to give a perfect size recommendation to our users.
How did you come up with your business name?
Our name was originally Shopright Clothing, a name we loved dearly but due to SEO purposes we decided not to compete with Shoprite – a huge grocery chain in New Jersey. We got together as a team and were throwing names down for hours, focused on the “Fit, Sizing” theme that our company was creating. We decided to make our name an abbreviation and were happy with FMRU, Fit Me Right Up. Which we believe is a fun way of explaining what you can achieve by using our marketplace without name.
Tell us about your products and services. How do you help clients?
The technology we use uses Ai & 3D body matching tech to take 2 images of our users, a front & side profile, their height & weight to generate over 47 different body measurements in under a minute. For the first time ever, because of this technology we can offer a completely accurate size recommendation for all of the products we sell for our clients. This will increase user confidence that purchases will fit, eliminate the need for returns (for fit at least, which accounts for over 52% of returns) and reduce the carbon footprint of the industry. Saving everyone time, energy & frustration.
What makes you unique? What is your unique selling proposition (USP)?
We are unique because though this technology has been used in the past, it is only used for individual brands – us being a marketplace that sells the products of most luxury & designer brands, including Gucci, Kenzo, Burberry, Calvin Klein +40 more brands allows users to shop all of their favorites from the same platform. We offer all of this and still have market or below market pricing for all of our products.
Where do you see your business in the next 3-5 years?
Our goal is to continuously build more & stronger brand partnerships, making us the go-to marketplace for premium & luxury clothing on the internet. On top of growing our product base we also have plans to move towards a personal avatar theme for each user. What I mean by that is, we plan to incorporate into the site the ability to create a personal avatar that mimics your body using your body measurements & can try on the clothes you are interested in buying in real-time.
Any advice you would give to entrepreneurs and business owners?
If you truly believe in yourself & the business you’ve created, the worst thing you can do is quit. Most businesses are one big break away from succeeding, take it from most uber-successful Founders, who will tell you they were nervous, almost bankrupt and got saved by their perseverance to keep going. Another piece of advice, in my opinion, is strong communication, study how to communicate effectively, understand how the human mind & emotions function – if you can make people like you & happy to talk to you, it will take you a long way.
What is your favorite business quote and why?
“Every time you do something wrong you are one step closer to finding the right way to do it.” – I think this speaks volumes to what makes someone successful vs. what doesn’t. The successful person embraces failure as a part of growing & becoming better equipped to move forward.
What have been some of your achievements that you are most proud of? Why?
My biggest achievements thus far other than creating this company, was when we finally launched. Two years in the making, a crazy idea that people couldn’t comprehend, I made a reality. This made all of the hard work, meetings & setbacks worth it.
Anything else additional you want to tell our readers?
Part of being a CEO is putting out fires 24/7. You will run into problems; things won’t go as planned – it’s in these moments you need to be calm & strong. Not letting yourself get overwhelmed is so important and I hope if the readers get one thing from my story it’s that. Just ride the wave!