Why Michelle Obama’s stylist invested in LVMH-backed AI styling platform Alta

AI-powered fashion designer Alta debuted in 2023, and has since attracted big-name investors. In June of this year, the company announced that it had secured $11 million in a seed funding round led by Menlo Ventures and Aglaé Ventures. LVMH, which represents 75 prestigious brands including Fendi, Givenchy and Christian Dior, has also invested in the brand, said Alta founder Jenny Wang. At the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit on Wednesday.

Thanks to innovative design solutions, Alta was able to bring on board luxury product source Gab Waller and designer Meredith Koop as well. Cobb, who styles celebrities like Michelle Obama, joined Wang on stage to discuss how she uses Alta and why she chose to invest in it instead of similar products on the market.

“Well, for me, there aren’t any other options, because [Jenny Wang] “It’s amazing,” Cobb said onstage. “That’s really the main reason I got involved, because when I met Jenny and I know her work, her background, her skill, her genius, her intelligence, for me, it’s her reason. She’s created this amazing platform with the help of her team. And for me, it was a no-brainer.”

How Cope would use Alta to design clients like Obama

Cobb is known for dressing Michelle Obama. Beginning in 2009, the fashion designer worked with the Obamas as a wardrobe consultant to create some of the then-First Lady’s most iconic looks: from Brandon Maxwell’s ivory strapless dress to Kenzo’s bold plaid dress.

If Cobb could turn back the clock and advise her celebrity clients again, she “would definitely use that.” [Alta]“If I had that in the past,” she said.

There are several ways you plan to take advantage of today’s technology. One of her favorite use cases is the avatar function; People can visualize any outfit directly on their “Alta Ego,” a flipbook of pre-selected outfits reminiscent of famous outfits ignorant Technology — which Wang said inspired the work. Instead of visualizing a pattern in her head or printing out a 2D version for clients, Koop and other Alta users can look at realistic representations of wardrobe pieces.

“I think avatars are one of the coolest things, because they really give you that visualization,” Cobb explained. “I create look books for a lot of clients — not just Michelle — but it really helps you visualize the outfit rather than just seeing a flat picture of the outfit.”

Koop also likes Alta because she’s able to keep track of her wish lists, as well as what she and her customers have in their closets. Users can upload their clothes and accessories to digitize their wardrobes, plan what to wear next, and track styles they’ve already worn. By tracking weather data, the app provides suitable options for wind, rain or sun – and if Alta users are planning a vacation, the AI ​​tool checks luggage size and itineraries to ensure the traveler is packing the right wardrobe.