Before we became finalists of MassChallenge and moved into our new digs at Fan Pier, we were renting space over at the CustomMade headquarters in Cambridge – what will forever fondly be known as Open Runway’s  first home away from home.  Sharing space with a team that shares the same mission and passion about beautiful design and customization as we do was great fun and we were very sad to leave.

The "Missis Key" chair made out of 561 keys

On our last day at CustomMade, I sat down with Mike Salguero, co-founder of CustomMade, and had him tell me about the past, present, and future of CustomMade. To give you a little background, CustomMade is an online marketplace that connects buyers looking for custom made furniture to skilled artisans who can make it for them.

At CustomMade.com, artisans set up profiles where they can display a gallery of their work, check their page views, and add listings. “The idea is to give artisans the tools to market themselves more effectively.” Much like how Open Runway gives exposure to emerging designers, CustomMade gives artisans an opportunity to showcase their designs.

Shoppers looking to buy a custom made piece of furniture can go to CustomMade.com and search by artisan or by location.  Once they have found an artisan they like they can contact them about a custom job. With thousands of beautiful and unique works on display for inspiration, it’s easy to spend a few hours on this site dreaming up ideas for furnishing or remodeling your home, like I did.  The possibilities are endless.

One of my favorite pieces that I came across was the “Missis Key” chair  by artisan, MasterandMargaritaArt which was made out of 561 recycled keys. How cool is that?

Whale Tail Desk

Another breathtaking piece was the gravity defying cantilevered design of the “Whale Tail” desk made by Wiggers Custom Furniture. This desk was inspired by the natural form of the rare North Atlantic Right Whale, as it breaches in preparation for a deep dive.

CustomMade as it exists today started as an idea to take an already profitable business and bring it to new heights. In 2009, founders Mike Salguero and Seth Rosen purchased CustomMade with the intent to revolutionize the way custom products are bought and sold. Their hard work catapulted CustomMade from a community of just 350 woodworkers to one that includes over 1,000 high caliber artisans.

In the future, CustomMade plans to be the source for everything custom. Starting with custom in the home: furnishings, rugs, carpets, and drapes. Then adding custom in the garage: bikes, cars, and boats. And finally custom for the person: shoes, pants, and shirts. According to Mike “the idea is that once someone has had one thing custom-made they are going to want everything custom-made.” We couldn’t agree with him more.

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!