This is your perfect opportunity! We are looking for a fashion intern to help us create online content, style looks, and get involved in everyday operations. Some of your responsibilities might include:

- Communicate with fashion bloggers/designers/models
- Style looks for our website
- Write about the latest happenings in the world of fashion
- Research fashion bloggers and designers
- Help promote Clothia on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media
- Help with organizational details for events and campaigns
- Assist with photo and video shoots

 
This is a very hands-on position – perfect opportunity for an ambitious person with a desire and ability to grow fast. An ideal person will be very social media-savvy – an active Twitter or Tumblr account and a blog are a big plus.

This is a part-time or full-time paid internship (compensation in form of small stipend).

 
Please email your resume to jobs at clothia dot com. Please include “Fashion Intern” in the subject line and include links to your Twitter/Tumblr accounts and blog (if any) in the body of the email. Also, if you have an account on Polyvore, please include your username and examples of your styled looks.

 
Clothia is a fashion technology platform that allows users to virtually try on clothes using augmented reality via their webcam. Clothia users can also create virtual closets, mix-n-match items they own and items from online retailers, and share their looks with friends.

 Lead Interaction Designer is our most critical role as you will define the future of the high-tech online shopping experience.

 This means creating an experience that is engaging, fun, social, and interactive. It means helping users shop, virtually try on outfits, find their unique style, and share it with friends – all in one place. It means connecting cutting-edge technology with high-end fashion in a seamless, beautiful, and relevant way.

 Your mission is incredibly challenging as you will be responsible for creating cohesive experiences across advanced Web applications, iPhone, iPad, and other mobile and touch-screen interfaces. The fashion world is ready to be disrupted by technology and you will be on the forefront of this revolution.

 You will be working with our founder and engineering team, and will be responsible for creating detailed prototypes, interaction scenarios, managing multiple design projects, and making complex technology clear and helpful to our users.

 Ideally, you live and breathe fashion. More importantly, you have created amazing web applications that users love, and preferably mobile and touch applications as well.

 If you want to define the future of high-tech online shopping, we want to hear from you.

 Please email Elena at jobs at clothia dot com. Please include links to products you have designed.

 
The event was organized by Professor Chris Wiggins of HackNY – another great organization that encourages student developers and educates them about exciting opportunities in startups and technology.

 
Here are my lecture notes: “Internet Overview” (.key) “Internet Overview” (.pdf)

 
Here are my lecture notes (Charlie taught the odd-numbered lectures):

 
Lecture 2: “Basic Principles” (.key) “Basic Principles” (.pdf)

 
Lecture 4: “World Wide Web” (.key) “World Wide Web” (.pdf)

 
Lecture 6: “Internet Security” (.key) “Internet Security” (.pdf)

 


 And here is some twitter love:

 

 
Outsourcing is a tricky subject. Heralded ten years ago as a business practice that would change the corporate world by making it flat, outsourcing is still an extremely risky endeavor. As an entrepreneur who has employed a team of developers in St. Petersburg, Russia for my fashion technology startup, Clothia, for the last seven months, I’ve learned some general rules to make outsourcing work. Here are a few suggestions:

 
1. You need to have a project manager who speaks the developers’ native language and understands their culture.
 
Most foreign developers understand English well enough to read technical documentation (especially if they work on the “bleeding edge” of tech, like the developers I get to work with) but unless they’ve lived in an English-speaking country, their language abilities are not going to be sufficient for meaningful, real-time communication. Cultural and educational differences between countries also play a role. My Russian developers prefer goal-oriented assignments with a degree of creative freedom, in contrast to developers from other countries who – in my experience – have preferred more micro-management. Also, having personal interactions builds a closer relationship that benefits both the company and the developers. At Clothia, we have daily Skype chats and regular in-person visits.
 

2. You need to have great communication and task management software.
 
One of the things we take for granted when we share the same physical office with teammates is what I call “ambient learning”: acquisition of knowledge that happens through overhearing conversations, impromptu chats in the kitchen, etc. You lose this effect when outsourcing. Therefore, fastidious tracking of tasks and goals becomes critical. At Clothia, we’ve been successfully using Teambox for this purpose (Basecamp and Yammer are other good alternatives). The time difference between countries can also become an asset if managed properly. Russia is 8 hours ahead of NYC so I can assign tasks and review progress while my developers sleep for genuine round-the-clock productivity. For most teams the ideal communication schedule evolves over time. At Clothia, we went from once-a-day Skype calls to as-needed chats/emails/assignments and found that it was more successful.
 
3. If done right, outsourcing can produce great results for less money.
 
One of the reasons I decided to go with an offshore team was that I knew there was no lack of talent in Russia (I am Russian myself). There are only so many MIT-trained engineers produced every year, and most of them are snapped up by Google, Facebook, Wall Street, etc. Outsourcing allowed me to gain access to their Russian equivalents. Additionally, foreign engineers average lower salaries than their American counterparts and can do just as good of a job.
 
4. For a long-term project and smaller teams, employ developers directly versus going through an outsourcing firm.
 
When I started Clothia, I had the choice between a great outsourcing firm based in St. Petersburg and several independent freelance developers both in NYC and in St. Petersburg. I chose to employ developers directly so they became members of Clothia team and the success of our startup is directly tied to their sense of achievement. Direct employment also allows greater flexibility with development schedules and tasks. In contrast, outsourcing firms normally work from a specifications document that is agreed upon in advance – not ideal for a startup.
 
5. Outsource development, not design or user experience.
 
Aesthetic standards differ between cultures, and this becomes very apparent when product design is involved. We found it challenging to find foreign graphic designers who could produce the visual experience we wanted. We decided to hire onshore instead and have been happy with the results. If you are building a product where design is secondary, outsourcing design can work. Otherwise, go to someone with experience in the field who is local and can meet in person to get a feel for the product and for the team.
 
Ultimately, companies should evaluate costs, development time, and effort spent developing a product onshore vs offshore before they make a long term commitment. Outsourcing worked very successfully for Clothia, but I know of other companies that have struggled.