We Are The Models is a fashion marketplace where you can discover and shop outfits that best fit your body shape. We match you with others who have the same body type, so you can see how their clothes will fit you! If you like what you see you can shop the looks online, without the hassle of fitting rooms and return policies.

The very first low-fi version of the press video is available here

We are the models is a young startup that began in early 2013 when Maude had the idea to match people by bodyshape so that they could share fashion tips. The idea was to provide a community for people who like to be fashionable but who don't have time to spend hours shopping (and returning ill-fitting clothes).

The search for an answer to the perennial online clothing dilemna: what if it doesn't fit?

There are a lot of virtual fitting rooms out there looking for a technological solution to solve the online shopping dilemma (Fits.me, ClothesHorse, Zugara and others). We believe that the the way you dress is an emotional decision. Technology alone cannot predict whether you are making the right decision, getting the right size or the right style for your body shape. We believe that a combined technical and social answer gives better predictions about how the clothes will fit.

Our partners

We Are The Models is proud to have partnered with the following organisations:

• Bob Carpenter
• Balsamik
• Our community of 300+ fashion bloggers

They support us

We Are The Models is proud to have support from the following organisations:

• Nest'Up
• La Région Wallonne
• LeanSquare:
• CentraleSupélec: parterned with a top french engineering school to develop maching learning, the indexing and body matching algorithms.
• BPI et Paris Pionnieres

In my spare time, I developed a home-made home automation system accessible over the web from any browser on a mobile or desktop device. The hardware is comprised of a Raspberry Pi (a credit-card sized £30 computer) and an Arduino Uno (microcontroller). Below is a demo of how the website can control the lights, the security camera and the interior temperature.

Features include:

• Remote control of all lights, TV, Playstation and amplifier
• Video feed and rotating security camera
• Automatic light switches between sundown and midnight triggered by motion detection
• Live reading of the current temperature from anywhere in the room with 0.1°C precision
• Thermostat with target temperature setting with 0.5°C sensitivity
• Away mode with email alerts containing a photo of the room upon motion detection
• Local vocal commands (see video here)
• Web-based platform, accessible from any browser anywhere in the world

Components included are:

• Raspberry Pi B+
• Arduino
• Radio Frequency (RF) receivers and transmitters
• Wireless RF motion detector
• Raspberry pi camera
• 5V motor stepper
• A bunch of wires, a lot of patience and a few hundreds of line of code

Future improvements required:

• Industrial design: improve the look and feel and usability (admin interface)
• Contextual regulation : regulate temperature by taking into account outdoor temperature
• Energy saving mode : machine learning and predictive absence and presence patterns
• Full integration : Integrated RF switch to work seamlessly with the manual switch
• Situational Awarness: collect the state (on/off) of each of the switches

From Paris to Brest on a bike (650km in 6 days).

What is funny about doing a week-long bike trip is that you never realise how much stuff you will need to get by. In hindsight, my advice would be stock up on the essentials and forget the rest...and make sure your carry bags are 100% water proof!

Scuba Diving

I have been lucky enough to dive at a few of the most amazing spots in the world.

• The Gili Islands: 3 little 500m-wide islands off the coast of Lombok (the big island on the east side of Bali) in Indonesia. I discovered scuba diving in this calm and peaceful corner of paradise. No cars, no motorbikes, hardly any electricity or internet. The sea turtles gather at the north end of the island during high tide to feed off the algae and they can usually be seen at 4pm.
• The Red Sea: The national Marine park of Ras Mohammed is an amazing place to dive. I spotted dolphins, turtles, napoleon fish, tuna fish, clown fish and crocodile fish. Diving the SS Thistlegorm, an english transporter warship sunk during the Second World War by 2 German Heinkel, is one of the most amazing diving experiences I have had.
• Koh Tao: This Thai island is a great place to pass the different diving certifications and is ranked second in terms of how many dive masters it produces every year. It is famous for turtles (tao means turtle in Thai) and whale sharks.
• Sipadan, Borneo, Malaysia: The region is famous for muck diving because the sea gypsies have been dynamite fishing for years, which has led to the development of particular macro sea fauna. Sipadan is the only real island of Malaysia, resting on a sea bed that is 600m deep. It has been a protected marine park since 2004, but before that a myth about a giant squid fish has kept the sea gypsies away from the island. That said, the island has been preserved for many years and is host to numerous species. I stayed on a old oil rig for 2 weeks, which provided unlimited unlimited diving. Here is a 2 minute video of Barracuda Point, one of the best diving spots in the world. Have a look at the video and understand what makes it so special: