Walk into most independent fashion retailers today, and a quiet sameness is beginning to creep in. Fewer new brands. Fewer surprises. Fewer risks. Jan Brabers, founder of Hyperscout, calls it what it is: a creative drought driven by systemic inefficiencies.
“Twenty years ago, the owner of a department store or independent boutique had the time, budget, and freedom to scout for something new,” Brabers says. “They would fly to Paris, Milan, Tokyo, just to find that one special brand that no one else in their town was carrying. That freedom doesn’t exist anymore.”
According to Brabers, the wholesale fashion industry has been quietly stagnating, not due to a lack of talent or ideas, but due to outdated discovery systems and overwhelming logistical costs. In response, he created Hyperscout, a Dutch-born B2B AI platform that profiles and matches brands and buyers based on creative compatibility, commercial fit, and global market relevance.
“Buyers don’t need more noise,” Brabers says. “They need a connection with the right people, at the right time, for the right reason.”
From a data perspective, the average independent fashion retailer sells 40 to 50 brands. Yet manually profiling these brands, or even understanding how one shop’s identity aligns with new market opportunities, has traditionally been slow, expensive, and often inaccurate. Multiply that by thousands of players across multiple countries, and you get a tangled web of missed opportunities.
“Everything was being done by hand,” says Brabers. “But fashion moves too fast for that now. A retailer gets a new brand in, and that changes their profile. That’s where our AI steps in, it updates constantly, keeps scouting for you, and cuts market research time.”
Hyperscout’s matching engine evaluates aesthetic, product category, price point, brand recognition, and even cultural alignment. Whether a high-concept streetwear label or a heritage knitwear brand, it connects them with retailers who are statistically and stylistically more likely to engage.
And for fashion councils and tradeshows? It’s an infrastructure upgrade.
One of Brabers’ driving concerns is the growing inaccessibility of the market for young brands with original perspectives. “If you have something unique, you’re also facing the hardest uphill climb,” he explains. “Sales agencies want brands with proof of concept. Showrooms charge high retainers. Everyone wants traction first. But how do you get that if no one gives you a shot?”
Hyperscout offers a step-by-step guide through that gap. The platform helps emerging brands build their wholesale presence gradually, suggesting entry into smaller, well-matched concept stores and tracking their growth until they’re ready to enter more prestigious retailers. “It’s not about pushing everyone to Harrods or Galeries Lafayette on day one,” says Brabers. “It’s about building the roadmap so that a young brand with potential doesn’t get lost before they’re found.”
Historically, fashion tradeshows like Pitti Uomo (where Hyperscout debuted earlier this year) were central to retail discovery. But with rising costs, waning relevance, and limited profiling of visitors and exhibitors, many fairs are struggling to prove ROI to participants.
“Fairs used to be about discovery. Now they’ve become about footfall,” Brabers says. “A brand pays thousands to show up, but doesn’t know who’s coming or whether they’re the right buyers. Fairs claim thousands of attendees, but no one knows what stores they own, what brands they carry, or what they’re looking for.”
Hyperscout is now partnering with fashion fairs and councils to change that equation. Instead of focusing on selling square meters, it sells connections. Its AI acts like a junior buyer for shops, suggesting new brands that fit their profile, and a junior sales agent for brands, pointing to ideal retail partners. It transforms the tradeshow from a three-day blitz into a year-round, data-driven ecosystem.
And when those curated matches meet in person at the fair, the chemistry is more meaningful because the alignment is already there.
In a time when AI is often seen as a replacement for human interaction, Brabers insists that Hyperscout is doing the opposite. “We’re not here to automate relationships. We’re here to make them count,” he says. “Our AI doesn’t send out mass emails. It’s not about blasting contact lists. It’s about helping real people find real matches. Because in fashion, it’s not just numbers and data. You need to feel the vibe of a brand, the texture of the fabric, the soul of the story.”
That belief in meaningful connection is embedded into the platform’s design. Its upcoming app (set to launch in fall) will serve retailers, agents, and brands alike, enabling continuous discovery and follow-up without the pressure of event-only networking.
While the initial focus is fashion wholesale, Brabers sees broader applications for Hyperscout’s intelligent matchmaking, especially in homeware and furniture. “The same issues exist there,” he says. “Creative businesses with beautiful products that don’t have the infrastructure to find the right buyers at the right time. We can help bridge that gap, too.”
For Brabers, this isn’t just about technology or scale. It’s about bringing humanity back into fashion through smarter tools. “I’ve been in this industry since I was 15, buying for my mom’s shop,” he says. “Now I get to take everything I’ve learned, from retail floors to boardrooms, and use AI to help others connect more meaningfully. That’s a full-circle moment. And it feels good.”
With a growing network of partners and industry interest, Hyperscout isn’t just rewriting how fashion connects; it’s redefining what connection means in the first place.
The photos in the article are provided by the company(s) mentioned in the article and used with permission.
