If we were in a John Hughes ’80s film, fashion and geeks would not mix. It would definitely be unlikely to see the chronicles of Molly Ringwald as a startup entrepreneur.

Luckily for us, we’ve put mullets, scrunchies and fluo clothing behind us, along with an antiquated mindset.

In today’s world, where Anna Wintour, editor in chief of Vogue attends the Webby Awards and Angela Ahrendts moves from fashion label Burberry to Apple, there are no preconceptions anymore.

Samsung smartwatch has just shown the wider public a glimpse of where technology (and fashion) can head next. ASOS has relieved thousands of us to fight the crowds to get hold of a garment. Net-a-porter brought luxury back to its true meaning. Notwithstanding how 3D printing and Chris Anderson’s foreseen “makers revolution” will impact our lives in the future.

That’s why there couldn’t have been a more appropriate moment to give the London Startup Weekend a makeover and launch an edition entirely dedicated to fashion, which took place in December 2013.

If you don’t know how the London Startup Weekend works, here’s its simple formula: no talk, all action, launch a startup in a 56-hour long, hands-on jam!

With 12 ideas to develop and only 3 winners, this edition’s top teams were Fashion Brief, a project-planning software focused on shoots and shows; Swappi, a super simple group fashion swaps and Wardro, a Pandora for menswear.

Feeling inspired? Here there are the top tips from those who made it, London Startup Weekend’s mentors and judges:

– Background doesn’t matter

Don’t fret over the fact that you don’t know your Manolos from your Jimmy Choo’s. Nicola McClafferty, founder and CEO of Covetique, originally came from a finance background and never dreamed of being an entrepreneur. Her pre-owned luxury fashion business was inspired not from the pages of Vogue but from startups like Airbnb that focus on people extracting value from what they own. Her aim was to mainly focus on delivering a quality product in a lean way in order to streamline the logistics of moving luxury fashion. The hardest part? Deciding it was the right time to go for it!

– Listen up!

It’s good to be confident and pursue your dream, but beware. Amrita Kriplani, Senior Product Manager at ASOS, said “one huge problem with startups is getting stuck in your vision. Listen to feedback, don’t ignore it.”

– Do your homework

Lee-Jon Ball, founder of Alliants and fashion entrepreneur himself, said to always ask yourself a question: has the idea already been thought of? Complete a thorough research of what’s out there before diving into it. If there’s something similar out there, what can you bring to the table to improve it?

– Flexible business model

Vassilios Alexiou, Executive Creative Director & Founder at Less Rain, said that not all the good ideas should be developed following the steps of Mark Zuckerberg. Think if you can bring your services and expertise to existing firms and brands rather than starting fresh on your own and compete against giant competitors. Your project might not become the next best-selling app in the Apple Store, but it could more profitable.

– Don’t go solo

There are many opportunities out there. You don’t necessarily have to run your business from your bedroom, you may also seek out the support and partnership of bigger companies. That’s what Kevin Farrar suggests, who scouts the best talent for IBM and helps entrepreneurs grow within IBM.

What the Startup weekend showed is that great ideas know no boundaries, they can help solve problems in any sector, even saving fashion victims 😉