ALTR | Devpost

Problem

Clothing is a direct expression of one’s personality and style. Many people view fashion as a key aspect of their identity. However, mainstream clothing stores follow general fashion trends of the time, and may not align with more unconventional styles. In fact, large corporations target the general public to maximize profit and therefore do not cater to specific groups. Shopping through social media (i.e. TikTok, Instagram) is most convenient to find these different styles, but it is difficult to find true, high-quality products due to mass production, fast fashion and an increase of drop-shippers. Nowadays, differentiating small businesses from mass-produced goods is increasingly difficult with the rise of social media and influencer marketing. Not to mention how oversaturated these platforms are: entertainment, education, and promotion all at once often becomes overwhelming.

Solution

ALTR seeks to help users find products that they desire through personalization while highlighting small businesses with an emphasis on “slow” fashion. Through our app, users will be able to take a quiz in order to find brands that cater to their style, or discover new ones! After completing the questions, users are recommended brands that best match their answers. They can view best-selling products, as well as the business’ history and values. Users can follow the stores they like and trust, as well as save specific products for later. Unlike outlets like TikTok shop, ALTR works with you to find shops specifically catered to your wants and needs. ALTR helps users buy with purpose by finding the clothes right for them while highlighting underappreciated brands.

Reflection

While we were brainstorming, we decided to create ALTR because we were frustrated by online shopping experiences presented by social media platforms, such as TikTok shop. Nowadays, apps try to do everything: messaging, advertising, entertaining, teaching. The uptick in undisclosed ads and the Tiktok shop feature annoyed us to no end. So, we decided to create a solution to our shopping woes. Since we have little to no experience with UX/UI design or Figma, there was an initial huge learning curve we had to overcome as a team. But, as the process went on, we did not let our inexperience hinder our creative ideas, and implemented features through trial and error. Overall, Catalyst 2025 was a wonderful experience and taught us about perseverance and useful skills we will take with us in future endeavors.