If you think you know what's trendy in fashion, chances are it's because Stefan Siegel told you.
The Italian model, turned investment banker, turned entrepreneur, is the mouthpiece for more than 20,000 designers from around the world.
Siegel started the business Not Just A Label, an online catalogue of new and unique designers.
He came up with the idea one Sunday in 2008, after realising there was no way for newbies to get the attention of the fashion industry's movers and shakers, and sell to him.
Siegel credits the global recession for a new way of thinking in fashion. People stepped away from the luxury market and started looking for something not only more affordable, but more unique.
"Customers come in and say, 'I'm sick of seeing the same garments in the same stores. There's no experience for me'. They can now jump into this talent pool and say, 'I can wear something no one has seen before'."
It's also a way for designers to compete in the global market -- around 60 Kiwi brands, including Nom D and Stolen Girlfriends Club, are signed up.
"The reality is that they don't have to get to New York and London anymore if you're smart and using the digital element," Siegel says.
In fact, he says not being in those big fashion cities is an advantage.
"You can preserve the individuality you have here. If designers are in New Zealand, they have access to specific material, and then it's unique."
Newshub.
