Crowdsourcing has now caught on with the fashion industry. The world's biggest auction site, eBay, collaborated with designer Derek Lam to crowdsource the best dresses from his spring and summer collection. Sixteen dresses were put up for votes, out of which the best five dresses will be sold in May on the website at affordable prices.

This collection is aimed at attracting eBay's large user base. As such collections are usually expensive, this is beneficial for customers. They get to vote on what they like, and buy it later at a discounted rate. This is the first time crowdsourcing has been used to this extent, to show that companies now understand the importance of customer feedback. Brands have now become more serious as customers want more from their purchases. By the option of voting, customers get to give in their preferences; this helps brands recognise their target audience. The five winning designs will be revealed later today, and made available for a limited time on eBay.

This isn't the only form in which crowdsourcing can be seen in the world of fashion. Sheyna.com, for example, is a website that gives its customers the chance to design their own jewellery, as they like it. Similarly, there's inkfruit.com, an Indian website that offers visitors the opportunity to create their own t-shirts and put their designs up for voting. The design with the maximum votes wins a cash prize. The site's motive is to encourage artistic talent.