The Uninspired Series: CEO of viral Clueless wardrobe app Whering, Bianca Rangecroft, shares how she refines & organises her wardrobe
"Having faith in yourself and not giving up is cliché, but essential when founding a new business. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will."
When brainstorming the concept of ‘Unfaced’, an underpinning theme that really resonated with me was a shared need for authentic wisdom whilst in search of creative inspiration. Narratives that (whilst being authentic) also acknowledge that some of us struggle to just get up in the morning or stick to one path.
Countless like-minded internet users sift through seemingly endless reels of content in hopes to locate the enigma that is ‘inspiration’. Instead, they find one-size-fits-all advice that neglects mental well-being.
So many of us feel lost. In our careers, our relationships, in our pursuit of ‘success’ and satisfaction. Enter the 'Uninspired Series,' a space where I converse with down-to-earth yet inspiring individuals from a variety of creative industries. Together, we unpack their creative journey and how they carved out their own unique careers, that leave room for imperfection, without sacrificing both wellness and growth.
A successful creative career isn’t linear and the multi-talented and simply awe-inspiring interviewees that I had the pleasure to chat with, prove that there is always room for YOUR individuality.
From Goldman-Sachs banker to fashtech founder and entrepreneur,‘Whering’ CEO Bianca Rangecroft equips conscious consumers and promotes a culture of ‘caring for your clothes, all whilst curating a platform that solves the ‘I-have-nothing-to-wear’ dilemma and empowering 3M+ users. Bianca has received awards like Drapers 30 under 30, WOTC award, EU Top 50 Founders. She is an unbelievably inspiring creative for those looking to build their own career whilst making a difference. Bianca highlights that one creative idea can evolve into an innovation that changes the industry.
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Thank you so much Bianca for agreeing to chat with me! I am so excited to talk to you about Whering. But, where did everything start?
I founded Whering in June 2020 out of a profound desire to democratize the personal styling landscape (after having worked on the Stichfix IPO whilst at Goldman Sachs in their consumer division) and fundamentally change the way we interact with our clothes (i.e. upend the throwaway culture). For me the system was broken; the vicious cycle of not being able to see what you own, impulse buying (never getting it quite right) and the lack of inspiration in the styling process meant only one thing, we had to take it digital and harness the power of machine learning to hyper-personalize our fashion experience.
Whering is known for offering a digitised wardrobe, Clueless style. Many of us are looking to organise our lives, which can mean streamlining our wardrobes. I would love to hear your top tips for a refined and organised wardrobe.
I might be a little biased, but I believe taking your wardrobe digital makes it so easy to organise and refine your wardrobe. Once you’ve uploaded your items you can easily see and style everything you own in the palm of your hand. When creating outfits digitally, it’s easy to see which pieces you naturally gravitate towards, helping you refine your wardrobe by selling, donating or giving away unloved clothes. I find tracking my outfits daily does the work of auditing my wardrobe for me- it shows exactly what I wear and what I don’t.
It also helps to only buy clothes you really need, that you can see yourself wearing a lot. Having an intense screening process for new purchases automatically keeps your wardrobe more refined as you’re starting the vetting process early.
Using a wardrobe app also helps you understand what clothes are worth the investment based on styles you wear regularly, so you’re less likely to buy something that ends up collecting dust at the back of your wardrobe.
Whering claims to be the cure for the ‘I-have-nothing-to-wear’ dilemma and in turn improves consumer consciousness. Why is this so important?
We can all relate to the feeling of having nothing to wear with a wardrobe full of clothes in front of us. It seems harmless, but this mindset can be damaging when it comes to consumption. We’re constantly looking for something new to buy to relieve us from this state of not knowing what to wear, when the answer is already in our closet.
In order to be more conscious consumers, we need to understand the value of our existing clothes, and seek a newness fix from what we already own, before buying new. That’s why I founded Whering and created a Clueless inspired wardrobe shuffle that helps you virtually try out different outfit combinations in a few taps, so you’ll always be able to find something to wear.
Imagine our reader is hoping to spruce up their style. Where would you start?
I would start by styling items you love. Think about what you enjoy wearing and what excites you about fashion, and try to inject more of that into your daily style.
If you’re really trying to spruce things up, actively make an effort to step outside of your comfort zone. Before buying items you’re not sure if you’ll love, rent them or borrow from friends to experiment with style sustainably. Trying a new silhouette or a new pattern/colour combo is an easy way to subtly test new waters when it comes to styling.
You’re chatting to a hopeful founder: share some words of wisdom…
Speaking and networking with other people in the industry before you launch your business is essential. It really helps to understand where you’re going and gives you a foundation of support before you’ve even started. Having a mentor is also really helpful for guidance and advice in the early stages.
Having faith in yourself and not giving up is cliché, but essential when founding a new business. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.
What’s next for Whering?
Our new rebrand! We’re saying no to one-size-fits-all styling advice with a rebrand focused on helping people make fashion work for them. We’re tired of magazines and social media telling us what to wear and how to wear it, without knowing us or our wardrobes. With Whering, you can find freedom in structure. We believe the maximum potential of our wardrobes is untapped until we add organisation. Through organisation we’re actively building the framework for your creativity to thrive.