Forager

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Find Your Fit page in which a file has been inputted and a dupe has been outputted
Find Your Fit page when the user has not inputted a file yet
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Inspiration

Walking down the street, there's always someone that you spot wearing an outfit that you just wish you could have for yourself. You admire it, wondering where they got it or how you could find something similar. Similarly, while scrolling on apps like Tik Tok or instagram, you might find yourself wanting to buy a cute outfit similar to the one that your favorite influencer is wearing. This turned into our inspiration to create Forager, a solution that helps you effortlessly find similar outfits while promoting sustainability and decreasing the need for overconsumption.

What it does

Imagine the world's most iconic fits, at your fingertips. Forager is an AI-powered solution leveraging Computer Vision AI for personalized, seamless, and sustainable shopping by sourcing recommendations from thrift stores like Depop Thrift. It allows you to drag and drop images of clothing items you want to find dupes for and outputs similar products from brands that promote sustainability. Whether you want to buy something that you saw your favorite celebrity wear, are planning on buying new clothes for a special occasion or an upcoming trip/vacation, or you simply want to streamline your shopping search, Forager ensures that sustainability, convenience, and your style are always prioritized.

By prioritizing second-hand and upcycled fashion, Forager champions a circular economy, reducing the demand for fast fashion and minimizing waste. Thrifting not only extends the life of clothing but also significantly decreases the environmental footprint associated with producing new garments. Forager makes this process effortless, turning the hunt for unique, affordable, and eco-conscious fashion into an intuitive and enjoyable consumer experience, allowing for a more seamless and more precise online shopping experience; it finds you sustainable products similar to what outfits you're inspired by.

With Forager, shopping isn't just about looking good—it’s about making choices that feel good, too, for both you and the planet.

How we built it

We used the following: -Computer Vision AI - Google Vector AI API -Flask -ReactJS +Vite -Depop Thrift API -Google Cloud Services

We created a frontend using Reactjs+Vite and created a Flask ran backend that implements Computer vision AI through Google's Vector AI API and Google cloud services to analyze the inputted file image and return information about similar finds. It also uses the Depop Thrift API to find similar sustainable products to your inputted image file and returns the final json file in the backend. This information is then sent to the frontend in the from of information about the product which is then updated on the website.

Challenges we ran into

-Downloads of Google Vector AI: we had issues downloading this but ultimately were able to prevail -Interaction of Flask and ReactJS: Integration was also a bit difficult as it was all of our first times at a hackathon as well as none of us in the team had prior experience with React nor Flask. There was definitely a huge learning curve, but ultimately we were able to mostly get the backend and frontend integrated.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud to have successfully created a minimum viable product (MVP) within the limited time constraints, despite our beginner experience with coding. This achievement reflects our ability to adapt quickly, learn on the go, and work collaboratively as a team. We are also proud of being able to learn new technologies in such a short period of time, especially as first-time hackers as none of us had prior experience with any of these resources and programs.

What we learned

Working on Forager within a limited timeframe taught us the value of effective time management and prioritization. As beginners in API implementation, we faced initial challenges but successfully developed a minimum viable product through persistent experimentation, mutual support, and a willingness to seek help when needed. These experiences not only enhanced our technical skills but also helped us grow as developers and collaborators. We also learned how to use programs such as ReactJS + Vite and flask, allowing us to gain a better understanding of full stack web development.

What's next for Forager

We aim to integrate APIs from more eco-friendly brands to strengthen our sustainability efforts. Additionally, we plan to enhance the user experience by utilizing cookies and databases to save past outfits, enabling a personalized 'For You' page which will recommend sustainable outfits based on prior searches, Users will also have access to a shopping cart where they can save clothing and outfit selections by logging into their account. We would also like to create a user login interface to store this information for each user and connect the account section to the backend.