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This apparel startup fixed the worst part of shopping for clothes in stores — and it could defy retail's curse

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Melia Robinson/Business Insider

Reformation, the "cool girl's" clothing company with stores in New York and Los Angeles, is expanding into brick-and-mortar at a time when retail brands are closing stores across America.

And the startup is crushing it. Reformation closed out 2017 with an estimated revenue just over $100 million — a fraction of what legacy brand J.Crew pulls in a year, but a feat for a lesser-known upstart. It also raised $25 million in a Series B funding round led by Stripes Group, and grew an A-list cult following that includes Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and model Karlie Kloss.

Founded in 2009, Reformation was born with a rebellious spirit and a lofty ambition: to make edgy, sexy, and feminine apparel using sustainable methods and materials, while saving retail from its doom. The startup uses tech to make shopping in stores more like shopping online.

Its crowning achievement is the fitting room. Typically, mall shoppers grab the items they like in the sizes they need and retreat to the back of the store. At Reformation, there's only one of each item on display. Shoppers add an item to their fitting room by requesting it on a monitor or asking an employee to scan the barcode. The clothes await them in a "magic" wardrobe.

The fitting rooms are outfitted with phone chargers, speakers, and buttons that let shoppers change the lighting to a more flattering color temperature. 

Reformation has eight stores across New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Dallas, and is eyeing an expansion to Chicago and Washington, DC. Yael Aflalo, CEO of Reformation, confirmed to Business Insider that the company is also working on a plus-sized clothing line.

According to Aflalo, the company is only getting started. "Our goal is to bring sustainable fashion to everyone, and every year we work toward that goal," Aflalo said.

Here's what it's like to shop at Reformation.

I'm a mall shopper. I like to try things on. Still, I didn't know what to expect from Reformation. "You just have to go to a store," founder Yael Aflalo told me.

Melia Robinson/Business Insider

The San Francisco store was brightly lit and spacious, with a dozen clothing racks lined up.

Reformation

Along the walls, touchscreen displays flashed cheeky copy. "I like to be touched," they said.

Melia Robinson/Business Insider

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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