IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Here’s what you need to know about Away to mars, the game-changing, industry-disrupting online fashion community based in London: It’s a crowdsourcing platform that allows anyone, anywhere, to have a hand in making clothes. To start, create an account and upload a sketch of your design. The site’s fellow users provide feedback, share ideas on a communal digital mood board and tweak the original version. The ideas that receive the most community engagement go into production. The result is a globally designed collection with input from over 400 designers. “Fashion hasn’t had any major changes over the past 30 or 40 years,” says founder Alfredo Orobio. “We want to give young talent from all over the world the opportunity to design and experience the industry.” Away to mars puts out two “co-created” collections a year. You can shop the latest one, inspired by raw materials like stone and metal, on awaytomars.com or dream big and propose an idea of your own. Next up? Away to mars is working with Google to develop a 3-D design tool to make the creative process more hands-on for its international user base. Although this tool is in the early stages, it’s safe to say that the future is (almost) here.