Local Startup Stylecable Pops Up at 1776

From the outside, D.C.’s startup hub 1776 looks like any other downtown office building. The lobby is bathed in dark marble, and an I.D. is needed to proceed to the elevator. But step onto the top floor and you land on a shared office space and event venue mash-up, filled with young entrepreneurs and startups working in the physical home of their virtual business. From artists to techies to fashion, 1776 houses a mix of businesses and hosts various events in the space after hours. On April 23, online retailer Stylecable will host its official launch party with a pop up shop and evening with the store’s local designers.

Uyen Tang, founder of Stylecable, started the site a year ago and went live in November of 2013. Tang started her business after traveling as a Foreign Service officer and collecting a wardrobe that spanned the world.

“People would say, ‘Oh, my gosh, where did you get that?’ and I would have to tell them a random country, where they couldn’t access it,” Tang said.
Her original idea behind Stylecable was to bring those hard-to-find pieces to the U.S. market and showcase emerging fashion designers.

After leaving the Foreign Service, Tang received her MBA from Wharton Business School, worked in management consulting for a little more than two years and then took the plunge into starting her own business.

After researching online retail options like Etsy, Tang took classes through the Founder Institute and launched Stylecable.

“Designers can really shine on the site,” Tang said of the connection shoppers can have as a fan of the 13 and counting designers featured on Stylecable. Currently, all of the site’s designers are entrepreneurial women selected by Tang who also hand selects all of the products to fit Stylecable’s “modern and edgy” style.

In the future, Tang is looking to explore men’s wear, a brick and mortar store and a pre-order function on the site for designers to show their upcoming designs.

The pop up party on April 23 will host around 500 people and give shoppers the opportunity to feel and try-on the products. Sarah Cecelia Jewelry will be one of the many local designers at the launch party and will give a demonstration of her jewelry line.

The party runs 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at 1776, 1133 15th Street NW. Tickets can be purchased at Eventbrite.com/e/stylecable-pop-up-party-tickets-10939208467. Visit Stylecable.com/ to learn more about the designers and see their products.