As we build StyleHop and create exciting, fashion applications, we have been encouraged by the interest shown by developers to create their own casual games using the StyleHop platform. With the help of NYU students* in Dr. Jean Claude Franchitti’s IT Projects class, I am pleased to announce the development and release of the  StyleHop API.

The StyleHop API  allows developers to leverage existing community-driven fashion review, social shopping, and recommendation features on StyleHop in their casual games and applications.  Using any programming language that “talk” REST, developers using the API have access to hundreds of thousands of filterable style ranking output either as JSON or XML.

Concurrent with this new API release, we are holding a create-a-game contest for the developer community to develop lightweight, social fashion games.   Think poker, solitaire, and other lightweight games, only in fashion.  Think mashup of fashion ecommerce and casual gaming.  If you need inspiration, check out our vibrant college community and our Fashion Cents game on Facebook.

You can develop using any language and on any platform (mobile, Facebook, Open Social, etc.).  The only rules are as follows:

- return a 5-star style rating for every style you use in your game

- use StyleHop data via the API

- apply for an API key and submit game idea by February 12

If you want to join the contest, or you want to try out the API, signup for an API key here.  The top three winners will receive equity grants in StyleHop Corp and will also  have a chance to demo their application at a meetup scheduled early March.

- Froilan

*kudos to Andy Kung, Aditya Sureka, Ivan Wah, and Vipul Gupta