Karmaloop Founder Reconnects With L.A., Makes New Plans
Karmaloop chief Greg Selkoe (left) and Leandrew Robinson, manager of Karmaloop’s forthcoming site PLNDR.com
Boston–based streetwear and contemporary fashion e-tailer Karmaloop.com has moved beyond simply selling clothes to become a community-oriented, globally conscious lifestyle brand.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer Greg Selkoe recently escaped the cold back East and made his way to Los Angeles to get face time with some of the California labels Karmaloop carries.
Karmaloop has grown to become a multi-platform lifestyle web destination—with the launch of an online entertainment channel, KarmaloopTV, in 2007 and its auction site, KarmaSwap, last year.
The majority of the brands carried on Karmaloop hail from the Golden State. West Coast brands represented among the more than 200 labels on site include a who’s who of streetwear and contemporary lines such as LRG, Joyrich, Comune, tokidoki, Hellz, Crooks and Castles, BB Dakota, Kill City, Tavik Swimwear, Vans and Vestal to name a few.
“We’re continuing to build a strong connection with California brands,” Selkoe said. “We’re looking at future lines together with brands in California because so many of our brands are here. One of the reasons we stay successful is that the clothing brands we pick up we hear about from our customers.”
As Karmaloop.com has evolved over the course of its near-decade run (long in the tooth in web years), streetwear has also grown up.
Selkoe is reaching out to creative, artistic young people who prove that not all 20-somethings are cut from same “The Hills” and “Jersey Shore” cloth.
Verge culture, which Selkoe describes as part of the first generation to grow up with the Internet as a mainstay and who isn’t represented by race or lifestyle choices such as skate or punk but rather is defined by its diverse ideas.
Plans in the works to tap further into verge culture include launching a cable television channel called KarmaloopHDTV, which will feature original content as well as films and music videos curated by tastemakers. Selkoe plans to launch the TV channel later this year, and it’s shaping up to be the more edgy, anti-MTV.
In the upcoming weeks, Karmaloop will also launch PLNDR.com—a new shopping community site that will operate KarmaSwap. PLNDR.com is spearheaded by manager Leandrew Robinson and will feature a Sneaker Hub for sneaker collectors to buy and sell, a flash sales area featuring limited-time deals, and a Boutique Blowout, which works in partnership with nationwide boutiques to liquidate stock.
Karmaloop is further reaching out to its customers and sharing messages to a younger audience through Globaloop, a program on Karmalooptv.com. The passion project is close to the heart of Karmaloop’s creative director, Dina Selkoe, who started the socially conscious arm of the site. Globaloop features news pieces and videos discussing pressing issues in countries such as Burma and Afghanistan.
