Lauren Santo Domingo Has an Online Trunk Show Startup in the Works

>> Lauren Santo Domingo has cofounded a startup company, Trunk Show Inc., which aims to put the trunk show process online. The company, which has already raised $1.15 million in venture capital from New Atlantic Ventures, is still in stealth mode, but a few details could be learned about what they have planned.

The idea is to stream video of fashion shows, after which customers and store buyers could both order from the collection they just saw — direct from the manufacturer. This would effectively cut out the lag time between when the pieces are shown on the catwalk and when they hit store racks. A similar tactic was first tried by Net-a-Porter back in 2008 in conjunction with Roland Mouret's show, but Trunk Show Inc. likely wants to encompass a wide number of brands at once. Fashionista suggests that the clothes sold in this way may also be at "a 10 to 30 percent discount, given that most designers offer a small discount at their trunk shows."

When's the expected launch? »

Santo Domingo's co-founder is Aslaug Magnusdottir, formerly a VP at Gilt Groupe (experience relevant to this startup) who also previously acted as a managing director at TSM Capital, which invests in early stage fashion. A public launch for the company will reportedly be in the first quarter of 2011.