Hi everyone 
,
elmd here. I am one of the Senior Product Designers here at Highrise.
Highrise has always been a place for us to express our truest selves. Together, we’ve built a community that thrives on creativity, and we want to take that to the next level. That’s why we’re so excited to introduce our new vision for the future of fashion in Highrise: the Richer Looks initiative, coming out next week (9/29-10/3).
Our plan is to build a richer experience for all of us to create, share, and connect over fashion. We’re focusing on three key areas:
- Discovery: Making it easier for us to see and be inspired by amazing outfits.
- Gamification: Creating new ways to socialize and play.
- Empowering Creators: Giving our creators more tools and opportunities to shine.
This week, we’re kicking off the first part of this initiative, focused on Discovery. This is a two-part Dev Diary, and today we’re pulling back the curtain on the first feature. Tune in tomorrow as we reveal the second piece of the puzzle, which will focus on making incredible new looks more accessible for everyone.
With that, let’s dive into the first step of our Richer Looks journey: a complete reinvention of the Looks feature.
A New “Look” For Looks
Previously, creating a Look meant putting together an outfit and background in the Photo Booth to post on the feed. We saw so many incredible styles, but we felt there wasn’t a clear space to showcase them, celebrate them, or get inspired by others.
So, we decided to upgrade Looks itself by making it more interactive, including upgrading the UI and adding an Animated Avatar in the post itself to make them feel more alive. We’ve also made it easier than ever to post a Look right from your profile or feed.
Additionally, we want Looks to be a platform that inspires aesthetic choices. Here are some ways we encourage this:
- Players can save their favorite Looks and find them later in the “Saved” section of the side menu
- Players can see what items a Look has, as well as be able to try it on themself.
- Players can see how an item is styled in multiple Looks.
Looks will be the the focal point for players to realize an item’s style potential. That way, players can be inspired to make anywhere from everyday outfits to creative fashion experiments.
Building a Fashion Community Together
We wanted to have Looks join a part of a larger fashion ecosystem, where players can get inspired by others on new fashion ideas and clothing options. We want players to spread inspiration, shine their creativity, and develop new trends in this Looks. This will create richer discovery and raise great visibility amongst our Highrise creators.
With the new Discover tab, you can swipe through a steady stream of Looks. Over time, we’ll keep improving how Discover surfaces outfits you love, so every visit feels fresher and more inspiring.
Outfit of the Day (OOTD) has always been a fun way to share a look. Now, it’s fully connected to the Closet and featured at the top of the Discover feed. This makes it simpler for everyone to participate and get inspired.
To bridge the gap between shopping and styling, we’ve added a “Wear It Like This” section to the Marketplace. When you’re browsing an item, you can now see how other players have styled it in their Looks, sparking new ideas right when you need them.
Players are able to post directly from their Feed and Profile. And while Looks are technically part of Posts, we know many of us like to curate our Profiles carefully. So, players can view their own Looks in their Profile as well as keep their feed private. If private, Looks that are posted will only be visible to followers.
Looking Forward
This new version of Looks is more than just an update; it’s the first major step in our Richer Looks initiative. We’re creating a permanent, central stage for fashion to be browsed, shared, and celebrated by our entire community.
We’re just getting started. We’re already dreaming up competitions, collaborations, and even more ways for us to connect through fashion.
The stage is now set. We absolutely can’t wait to see the trends you start and the ways you’ll inspire each other. 
Looks is coming out next week (9/29-10/3)