News: Fashion Startup Kollectin Lets You Try on Earrings & Necklaces from Indie Designers in AR, with Just a Swipe to Buy

The natural marriage between fashion and augmented reality is charging onward, but not just from the major brands we already know about.

A new Los Angeles-based startup called Kollectin has decided to harness the power of AR to power its entry into the fashion accessories market, not as a gimmick, but as a central part of the business.

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"Kollectin was built on the idea of using technology to connect women through fashion, and with the new patent pending augmented reality 'Xperience Mode' feature, we are one step closer to doing just that," says Nadia Lee, the CEO and co-founder of the company. "By allowing our customers to virtually try on jewelry, shop at home, and connect on social media with their favorite influencers, we've created a brand new and unprecedented user experience."

The operation is pretty straightforward: Once you open the app, you travel away from the typical shopping menu (which includes rings, handbags, and other accessories) and access the Xperience Mode. When you initialize that mode, you have access to a range of earrings and necklaces that you can see hanging from your ears or draped around your neck.

At first, I had trouble getting all the accessories to appear, but the app may have just needed time to track my face because after holding the camera on my face for a couple of minutes, all the accessories were accessible in AR.

And when you've figured out which items you like, you can swipe up to add the item to your cart. From the ease of seeing the items on my body to the swiping interface, there's something about the app that felt very Snapchat-like, and that's a good thing for today's app-obsessed shoppers.

But rather than just offer brands from Kollectin, the app is serving as a gateway for indie jewelry designers. "Influencers come to Kollectin for a turn-key solution to create their own Tiny Boutiques (personal online store)," reads the company's launch message. Some of the brands available include Kenneth Jay Lane, Rebecca Minkoff, Gorjana, Alex Woo, Jennifer Zeuner, Native Gen, Noir Jewelry, and others.

The app is free on the Apple App Store and Google Play and available immediately.

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