wheel, a portal Parisian hippie fashion, gets $ 3.3 million from the International Index out

Because fashion never goes out of fashion, fashion portals continue to earn money not only consumers in search of the next big thing - but are also investors willing to ride the wave - regardless of the type or negotiate, and ideally two . The last example is wheel, a start-up based in Paris that focuses on the low waist and accessories and assimilated the online equivalent of Urban Outfitters. Today wheel announces € 2.5 million ($ 3.3 million) in funding. Old bike is a little less than a year, but on its own and through viral marketing 1 million users already addressed. This tour raised money, € 2 million from Index Ventures, the first wheel and use the support to expand their international business. It is in the UK and Germany first and co-founder and marketing director David Smadja said that the goal of the U.S. is made in two years. Funding as part of a much larger tower for a fashion brand in established online, but do not like the hip can mean a lot of money: Fab announced earlier this week, the closure of a round of $ 150 million to $ 1 billion Review. And it is even more increased. Index, for his part, has built a strong portfolio of online mode, and so to say that sites that are designed specifically for an edgy look. Among the 150 companies it is again very annoying as Nasty Gal, ASOS and Farfetch and small sites such as The Business of Fashion. (And yes, the index as much skin in the game with traditional operations such as Etsy.) It is interesting that Nasty Gal Martin Mignot, the index partner, which, the investment also performed in parallel. Just before investing in cycling, he thought room online mode has been played, but when his girlfriend showed him wheel, he sat up and took notice. (It was the first Nasty Gal brought Mignot and index attention, "and the story has not played well," he says understatedly in a blog on the financing.) The rapid growth and the team was what it earned more broadly, said he did. "We want to partner with the team of wheel that are proven in their short history, happily, they have an innate understanding of fashion, brands and style," says Mignot. "Working with innovative companies like Etsy and NastyGal has shown us that the retail industry through tremendous changes and the wheel has a great chance to become a global company in this space." While wheel well on its own - it says it is on track for a turnover of € 15 million in the first year of operation, self-funded - the additional capital will give a boost to penetrate new areas and employees. "We want to increase to accelerate our growth - setting key people, build a logistics platform to accelerate the acquisition of marketing, the development of production capacity," says Smadja. "Ideally, we would like to focus the U.S. market in the next two years in power, but now we are in Europe, as markets in the UK and Germany." Other co-founders include Anthony Serero (CEO), Simon Amzalag (CFO) and Julia Serero (its main customers). While the online mode is certainly a crowded market, the smart move is to find a particular view on the market from the beginning. In the case of cycling, it is young men and women who sometimes shop at Urban Outfitters - hip, but not too out there. "Our competitor is Urban Outfitters," Smadja said. "The direction we take apart in terms of the offer (we on small brands and fresh products that are hard to find and our momentum is very different focus.)" The difference is that because it is online, and because increased wheel the private sale business model have many other sites, mainly used in the early days (Fab, for example, as was his policy of invitation): "We are competitive on price, something that can never be urban." The other key element cycling is that it decide the trend among buyers these days, trying to work in the cabinet for low prices and quick turnover. "We do not believe the traditional seasonality in fashion," he said, noting that they stay away from the idea of ​​two great collections per year. "We are focusing on the products and because of our turn and dynamic, we are able to present hundreds of collections each year at the best price." Whether it be in a position to put his growing anti-establishment approach remains to be seen.  Other investors in this round include Nicolas Santi-Weil and Vaizra Stimulus Fund in New York (founder of the Kooples, who will join the board wheel partner) is based.