October 23, 2010

The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing and why Gucci is no longer necessarily out of your reach!

The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing - Portfolio - $25.95 - ISBN: 978-1-59184-371-9 - sharing based business have always existed - your public library, hotels, public transportation - but the internet has taken the traditional business model - first made something, then sell it - and turned it on it's head.  What author Lisa Gansky calls "Mesh" businesses throw away the traditional model and instead they use social media, wireless networks, and data crunched from every available source to provide people with goods and services at the exact moment they need them, without the burden and expense of actually owning them - access trumps ownership.  She actually has an online directory of Mesh businesses, including more than 1,500 companies worldwide who are helping to create the new "sharing economy".  I took a look and it's amazing the variety of goods and services that are actually involved! You can check it out at www.meshing.it

Of course fashion and beauty are my main interest and this got me thinking about the Mesh businesses that already exist in this genre. Makeup Alley comes to mind with their cosmetic swap board and I know there are other beauty and fashion websites that also have swap boards.  There are numerous sites where you can rent brand name luxury handbags and accessories and being able to rent a designer wedding gown is becoming a more common trend.

I find it interesting that as we become a more label conscious, consumer driver society, how we find new ways  to get a piece of the pie - even if it's not actually ours to eat!

- Lisamarie -

2 comments:

  1. I'm all in favour of this sort of thing - but wouldn't it be unhygenic to swap cosmetics?

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  2. I guess it depends what you swap - mascara and other liquid products would be impossible to clean properly, but an eyeliner pencil is easy enough to sharpen or you can scrape off the top layer of a blush... I guess it depends what you comfort level is with that kind of thing. There are thousands of girls on there swapping everything you can think of!

    Best, Lisamarie

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