Q & A with Founder and CEO of FashWire and GlossWire, Kimberly Carney  

You have a robust experience in fashion retail with The briK, and technology with AT&T among others. How did the idea of these platforms, FashWire and GlossWire, come about?

After several years of owning a store, I saw digital adoption becoming a key factor in driving buying decisions forward and retail would not survive without adapting to tech. With a passion for tech and fashion, connecting the two worlds was the catalyst for the FashWire platform. When the pandemic hit in 2020, FashWire was ahead of the curve with its digital platform, and we were able to double our brand partners from 200 to 400. We were then approached by beauty retail executives and beauty brands to launch beauty with the same compelling user experience and we went for it! We successfully launched GlossWire in February 2021, landing #2 on the App Store Paid Shopping Apps.

How did the pandemic affect your GlossWire launch?

Our timing was perfect for the pandemic. So many traditional selling channels were still not open and being a digital marketplace that is not a traditional retail model, we were able to sign up beauty brands as a true technology partner that could help not only streamline their brand strategies, but also sell directly to their consumer base.

Describe GlossWire in 3 words.

Curated. Educational. Community.

What is the brand selection process at GlossWire?

A hyper-curated edit of a mix of emerging and established brands that are making an impact in the beauty and grooming spaces.

Why should brands showcase in your platform?

We are the platform that has emerged for brand amplification in the beauty and fashion spaces. Additionally, our swipe technology and social integration tools give brands real-time data and insights on how to provide better products to consumers. Instead of solely relying on traditional ways of trend forecasting — which requires observation and data collection from trend spotters and influencers — brands can instantly have access to data from consumers that allows for planning their brand strategies and quantities in a timely, efficient, and very relevant manner.

Data is king and it’s FashWire and GlossWire’s strength. How does it translate to personalization from brand to consumer?

Personalization is all about getting the right product to the consumer. Our technology empowers consumers to give brands direct feedback on what they like, and also gives brands data based on consumer behavior. This information in turn allows the brands to tailor their products to the consumer’s needs and to personalize their offerings. And that’s just the beginning — we see a future where personalization is going to become increasingly important for brands to differentiate, and with FashWire and Glosswire they have a technology platform that they can rely on.

What do you envision for GlossWire in the next 5 years?

We are seeing incredible growth with GlossWire offering a technology platform that deeply connects consumers and brands. We have numerous additional innovations on our roadmap to take this experience even further and revolutionize shopping. In 5 years, we strive to be the go-to platform in the fashion and beauty industries for an engaged shopping experience between designers and consumers.

If you can travel anywhere in this very moment, where would you go?

Paris, because out of the 75+ countries I have visited, I have never been to France. After all, Paris is the city of love and who doesn’t need a little love right now.

ABOUT KIMBERLY CARNEY

Kimberly Carney is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FashWire and GlossWire, two innovative 2-sided B2C marketplaces. With over 20 years of experience in marketing for wireless and technology companies and more than 15 years as an Owner in the multi-brand retail space, Kimberly has a unique perspective into fashion and beauty’s interplay of data and marketability. This drive to bridge the connection between technology, consumers and designers was the catalyst for Kimberly to launch FashWire. In 2017, she seized the opportunity in the fashion sector to connect fashion designers and consumers by leveraging technology in an innovative, low cost and scalable way. Kimberly combined her previous experience in mobile and tech with her industry experience to develop a platform where emerging and established brands could leverage data-driven insights from consumers to connect with them in new ways, and where consumers can use swipe and social technologies to directly interact with designers on the products they care about.

In addition to disrupting the fashion space, Carney recently launched into the beauty industry with GlossWire. GlossWire integrates the same technology with a focus on curation, education and community. Kimberly researched the beauty landscape and quickly identified and acted upon the growth in the digitization of beauty. Kimberly is a rare mix of fashion, beauty and tech with an entrepreneurial spirit. She has an innate talent to identify market needs and delivers on those needs through passion, vision, drive and authenticity. Simply put, she is a trailblazer within the retail digital sector. Recently, Kimberly has been recognized in the CEO Publication as one of the Top 20 Dynamic CEO’s of 2020, New York Fashion Tech Lab as an Industry Expert and by Authority Magazine as a female disruptor in the digital space.

To Learn More about GlossWire, Click Here.