SoFetch creator Morgan Werthauser, a fourth-year in strategic communication, poses, while displaying the mobile app on her cell phone. Credit: Courtesy of Morgan Werthauser
For college women who can’t afford to continuously update their wardrobes, a mobile app can be used to ease the financial burden.
The app, soFetch, was created by Morgan Werthauser, a fourth-year in strategic communication, to help students find an affordable way to trade and borrow women’s clothes, shoes and accessories.
Along with her love for retail, Werthauser said the idea for the app stemmed from the desire to help her friends, as well as the frustration of not being able to keep track of the belongings that she let friends borrow.
“I never remember who has what, and half the time I don’t get things back for a couple months,” Werthauser said. “I really wanted something that would keep track of everything I have.”
With a year full of preparation, the clothes-sharing app launched on Feb. 22, and it is available through the Apple store free of charge.
The app provides two different options to sign up: through Facebook or joining with an email. Then, it asks for a few pieces of basic information, including phone number, profile picture and school name, to create a network. Once the user is granted access, he or she can start adding ‘friends’ as well as clothing items to begin sharing.
The app works similarly to other social media sites, as people are only allowed to see the newsfeeds, where belongings are displayed, of their “friends,” who can be added by Facebook or through contact lists.
Though the title of the app started as a joke referencing the movie “Mean Girls,” Werthauser and her business partner stuck with the name, as it is a popular quote from the movie that many young women know.
Werthauser said the app can be used for many different events.
“You can really have fun with it, whether it’s for themed parties, interview clothes or just everyday attire,” she said.
Marni Young, a fourth-year in nursing and former roommate and sorority sister of Werthauser, is new to the app, but she said likes the concept of soFetch.
“I think it makes it a lot easier for girls to borrow clothes from someone they maybe don’t live with,” Young said. “It helps save a lot of time.”
Young said she likes that users are able to select the brand, size, color and other details of the items they are seeking. Additionally, they can message friends to negotiate borrowing certain items.
She also said how important the app could be for women in Greek Life specifically, given that events are hosted regularly on the weekends that require certain attire, but she said she thinks all college women can use it.
“It makes things a lot easier so you don’t have to go out and spend $10 to $15 every weekend for an event,” Young said. “I think it could be utilized by anyone. (It can be used if) someone has a wedding to go to or some family function or gamedays.”
Werthauser said the app’s popularity has increased at OSU since its debut. She said she hopes to continue that growth by including features, such as a loyalty program and a rating system, to enhance the user’s experience and to hopefully partner with a Fortune 500 company to help grow her app.
“We are definitely hoping to get a pretty big launch here at Ohio State between this semester and the beginning of next semester. We also hope to get it jumping at other campuses across the country,” she said.
