We are excited and honored to have been chosen as a finalist of MassChallenge – the world’s largest global start up competition. We are one of 110 companies chosen to move on to the accelerator stage. The competition was designed to accelerate the development and success of high-growth, high-impact new businesses, while stimulating job creation across Massachusetts and beyond.

As a finalist, for the next 3 months we’ll receive free office space in a brand new building overlooking Boston and the harbor at Fan Pier in South Boston (how will we get any work done with such an amazing view?) and mentors assigned to us. In October, an expert panel will identify 20 startups to share the 1 mllion in prize money.

We are looking forward to getting help refining our business and getting access to some top notch mentors.

There are 3 stages of the competition. First we had to send in an executive summary which got judged and rated. There were 450 or so applicants and we were one of 300 companies that made it to the next round.  The 2^nd stage had us pitch to 3 judges last week.  We were quite happy  with how our  pitch went. The judges were very engaged and genuinely interested and excited about what we were doing.  Of the 300 companies that pitched, 110 of the world’s most promising startups  (including Open Runway) were chosen to move on to the 3rd stage – the Accelerator phase.

We are very excited about how things are moving along for Open Runway. Being an entrepreneur has its highs and lows, but the highs always make up for the lows. This is definitely one of those highs that reinforces why entrepreneurship is so addictive.

You can read about the contest here:

http://www.masschallenge.org/blog/masschallenge-finalists-announced-today-press-release-event

These days it seems like every celebrity has their own fashion line.  Everyone from Jessica Simpson all the way to P. Diddy is jumping on the fashion bandwagon and designing lines that express their style so why can’t you? It’s not like these celebrities are more qualified fashion experts by any stretch of the imagination (see: Jersey Shore’s JWoww debut her Filthy Couture line).

So what’s stopping you from designing your own style? With more and more online retailers offering co-created and custom-made apparel, the answer is nothing!

Open Runway is just one of many fashion companies embracing the co-creation trend. We’re revolutionizing the way women shop for fashion by empowering both shoppers and emerging designers  to design and purchase their own dream shoes.

Here are some others you should know about:

Styleshake lets women design a wide variety of apparel. If you are looking to design your own dress, shirt, top or accessory, StyleShake is the place to be.

How it works: Shoppers  can mix and match a large assortment of patterns, specify the color and fabric, and have the choice of ordering their design in a standard size or paying a little extra for their made-to-measure service. Receive it in 10 days or less.

Price: Dresses start at $97

Why we like it: We all need that special dress for a special occasion and the ability to design your own dress can really make an occassion that much more memorable.

Blank-Label provides a platform to design your own men’s dress shirts.

How it works: Customize the fabric, collar, cuff, placket, pockets, shoulders, buttons and more on your personalized dress shirt. Receive your shirt in 3 weeks or if you’re in a hurry get it 10 days using their express service.

Price: Dress shirts start at $45

Why we like it: Men’s dress shirts are normally pretty simple, so the ability to mix things up with different color collars, buttons, and shoulder straps can really help you stand out from the crowd.

The Boston Connection: Talking with Fan Bi (@lifeofbi) is always an awesome experience. Check out his blog to hear the latest. He and the team relocated to Shanghai for the summer for a number of different reasons – check it out. Danny Wong (@dannywong1190), Blank Label’s lead evangelist, is knocking Blank-Label’s PR out of the park.

Gemvara is an online jewelry retailer that lets you customize each piece to your liking. They offer a wide variety of jewelry from pendants to engagement rings.

How it works: Find a style you like and customize it by choosing your gemstone and precious metal. Receive your design in 3 weeks or less.

Price: Price varies depending on piece

Why we like it: With thousands of bling to choose from, you  can save yourself hundreds of hours combing through stores looking for something unique and perfect for your sweetie. At Gemvara you can design a perfect engagement ring that truly expresses your love.

The Boston Connection: Matt Lauzon (@mattlauzon) , Gemvara’s founder, is a great asset to the Boston start-up community. We’ve met Matt a number of times and had the pleasure of  speaking on a Gemvara (known as Paragon Lake at the time) sponsored Mass Customization Panel titled “How Mass Customization Can Create Value & Profit.” at the end of 2009.

IndiDenim offers made to measure jeans designed by you.

How it works: Through their online Jean Builder you can choose your fabric as well as features such as the rise, fly, hem stlyes and more AND have them custom made to fit your exact dimensions and. They offer both Men’s and Women’s jeans.

Price: Jeans start at $145

Why we like it: If you’re anything like me, you spend hours trying to find that perfect pair of jeans. With the ability to create the perfect pair of jeans, it almost seems silly to waste time going to the store.

The DYO revolution is upon us. It’s time for your voice in fashion to be heard!

Open Runway is all about putting the creative power into your hands so that’s why we’re very excited to tell you about The Cobblettes, a shoemaking workshop that does just that.

Emily Putterman-Handler, known as the Shoemaking Guru of NYC and Kimberly Ayoung, an attorney by day and a burgeoning shoe designer by night are the dynamic duo behind The Cobblettes.  As The Cobblettes, Emily and Kim will be teaching intensive two-day beginner shoemaking workshops, starting this month in NYC. From there Emily and Kim plan on taking the workshop on the road across the US including Washington DC, Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.

Snake skin mule designed by 1 of Emily's students

The workshop is for aspiring shoe designers who want to learn the art of designing and cobbling shoes from scratch without the financial burden of enrolling into a fashion institute. In the workshops, students will learn how to create a mule by hand. They can choose the type and color of fabric and adorn them with buttons, ribbons, buckles and more. “Your imagination is your only limitation,” Emily says.

Adorn your own accessories!

Emily Putterman is an award winning shoe designer and shoemaker who has been teaching shoemaking classes for over 20 years at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Pratt Institute. Her students, who come from diverse professions such as magazine editors, physicians, fashion design students and hedge fund managers, have gone on to work for well known designers including Kenneth Cole, Steve Madden and Coach and some such as Kristina Kozak and Andrew Chesler have started their own lines.

The classes are for both serious designers and people looking to start designing. One obvious advantage of the class is that students will be able to walk away at the end of the workshop in a pair of handcrafted shoes they created themselves, but the far greater benefit is the craft of shoemaking each student will leave with.  The techniques taught in the workshop do not require any special machinery which means students can continue to hone their craft and make shoes at home even after the class.

Shoes Designed by students of Emily's

Open Runway is excited to be giving graduates of The Cobblettes workshop the opportunity to promote and sell their creations.  As part of the workshop, students will be invited to submit their designs to Open Runway’s ongoing, open call design contests. Winning designs will actually get put into production and sold on Open Runway’s website.  “The chance for a student to have their designs manufactured and actually sold is a dream come true to many,” says Kim.  With an emphasis on promoting emerging designers, Open Runway will provide the platform to make that dream a reality.

Visit The Cobblettes, to sign up for a workshop:

http://www.shoemakingclasses.com/