The emergence of in-app commerce has gained significant attention since social media platforms were introduced. Aesthetic aims to enhance the shopping experience by allowing customers to enjoy a personalized in-app product experience based on the looks they admire on social media. Utilizing its proprietary AI/ML algorithm, Alma, Aesthetic enables users to shop for products directly featured in their feeds or discover similar items that match their aesthetic.
Having gained significant traction with over 80,000 people on its waitlist, Aesthetic has officially launched on Instagram, with plans for TikTok and other platforms to follow shortly. Founder and CEO LJ Northington, who began developing the technology in 2022 after conceptualizing the project in 2020, has a background in building celebrity-powered brands during his time at Westbrook Media.
Northington emphasizes the importance of personal style and how it communicates one’s identity. He argues that the best way to understand individual aesthetics today is by exploring personal Instagram accounts. Instead of introducing another separate app, Aesthetic integrates its algorithm into existing social media platforms, facilitating user inspiration.
Aesthetic’s mission is to “map the entire human style genome,” identifying consumer identities through their inspirations and translating that into shopping experiences. Northington recognizes that customers often experience a disconnect between their style preferences and their purchasing decisions due to pricing and sizing barriers. Alma addresses this gap by learning users’ styles and connecting them to products they desire.
During recent beta testing, Aesthetic reported impressive conversion rates, with 25 percent of users making purchases and 90 percent engaging with the platform multiple times a week. The platform works by allowing users to send direct messages containing videos or posts to its Alma bot, which promptly returns a link to facilitate shopping within Instagram’s browser. Users can also save looks for later.
In addition to serving everyday shoppers, Aesthetic highlights “tastemakers,” such as stylists and designers, enabling them to monetize their unique styles. The platform features a vast affiliate catalog comprising millions of products and over 10,000 brands, sharing a portion of revenue with registered tastemakers when their content influences sales.
Tastemakers benefit from the fact that they earn revenue whether users purchase the exact products featured in their posts or seek alternative items within their aesthetic at different price points. This innovative approach aims to empower creators and enrich their roles in the fashion ecosystem.
Northington envisions algorithmic influence as a new frontier for shopping, planning, and event discovery. He believes it highlights the human essence of taste while allowing tastemakers to capitalize on their influence. Creative director Reggieknow, formerly a brand leader for Yeezy and Off-White, supports this vision, predicting that Aesthetic could wield an impact akin to brands like Uber or Airbnb in the fashion industry.
Aesthetic has attracted investments from various sources, including Slow Ventures and angel investors from leading talent agencies, but financial specifics remain undisclosed. Investors express enthusiasm for Aesthetic’s mission to transform personal taste into a monetizable asset and shape the future of creator interactions with fashion. Northington concludes that understanding one’s aesthetic is crucial to personalizing their world, creating a unique shopping experience that reflects their identity throughout all aspects of life.