If you aren’t familiar, Polyvore was a virtual mood board where users (and fashion companies) could add products to a shared product index and use products curated from other e-commerce sites to create image collages called “Sets.” On Thursday, the digital “mood board” community site became SSENSE, with the Polyvore URL now redirecting to SSENSE’s site. On the Polyvore blog, the company writes, “We believe that SSENSE is the right community for the Polyvore members, and we’re inspired by their commitment to offering a directional mix of the most coveted labels in the world.”
Polyvore users worried about losing their content can click here (available until May 10, 2018) to be able to save and download their sets.
Founded in 2003, the Montreal-based SSENSE sells products from luxury and streetwear designers, and they also produce editorial content, whether interviews with artists like Lynne Tillman or an ode to Prada’s “Spazzolato Pointy Heel”. Shoppers may find that same sense of “fashion democracy” on SSENSE’s site without the ability to create mood boards and pull from clothing and accessories from all price ranges. One user told Business of Fashion, that she “does not plan on shopping from Ssense because it is too expensive.”
Fans are having a hard time dealing with the shuttering of Polyvore. Fashionista reported that one person commented on Polyvore’s Instagram post with, “I’m crying right now this was my stress free zone and my me time. I had friends there and you took it all away they are gone just gone.” Other users complained about the lack of notice they received that the site would disappear.
Lauren Coates, a high school student, started an online petition to “Bring Back Polyvore,” saying that the announcement was made with “no prior warning and no heads up to its hundreds of thousands of users.” Representatives for Ssense declined to comment, but said on Twitter “We’re excited to share our directional collection of the most coveted labels in the world.”
Polyvore’s blog post concluded with this: “We want to thank you, our committed global community of members — people who we’ve had relationships with over so many years — watching your tastes evolve, sharing your sets and building your communities alongside you. Thank you for being such a passionate part of our community, sharing your creativity, and expressing your style.”
Nowhere to go? The COOLS shop hooks shoppers up with the latest trends from around the world, featuring 6 million products from the 10,000 best online retailers. COOLS has style guides, shopping guides, and the most up-to-date fads from larger retailers like Mytheresa, Net-a-Porter, or Moda Operandi, and we keep shoppers in the know about up-and-comers. You can even find styles sold through SSENSE.