The Folklore Group

What The Folklore Group does

The Folklore Group, Inc. is a New York-based commerce technology company founded in 2018 by Amira Rasool that operates an all-in-one B2B and B2C platform for small-to-medium fashion, beauty, home, and lifestyle brands — with a deliberate focus on suppliers from emerging markets and underrepresented communities across 40+ countries. The platform's core technology is a multi-channel commerce dashboard that lets brands publish product catalogs to more than a dozen external channels (Nordstrom, Faire, TikTok Shop, Etsy, Google Shopping, Amazon, Pinterest, Wayfair, Shopify, JOOR) from a single onboarding, and that layers AI-generated product photography, descriptions, social content, and personalized wholesale buyer outreach on top. Underneath this, the company operates two storefronts — The Folklore Shop (consumer) and Folklore Connect (B2B wholesale) — plus a third sub-product, The Folklore Source, which is a vetted two-sided talent marketplace for freelancers and manufacturers.

The company generates revenue through three mechanics: (1) tiered subscriptions ($39 Essentials / $79 Plus / $149 Premium per month, with annual discounts), (2) transaction fees (6% on consumer orders, 2.5% on wholesale orders, 5% on third-party marketplace orders, 7.7% + $0.15 on Source marketplace payments), and (3) shipping label fees on top of discounted DHL, FedEx, and UPS rates. The platform claims 1,000+ brands, 4,600+ products, and $2M+ in transactions processed, supported by 11-50 employees. Strategic distribution partnerships with Nordstrom, Faire, and TikTok Shop function as the primary enterprise anchors, while integrations with Shippo, Lemlist, JOOR, and Shopify Collective extend operational capability. The company has raised $6.2 million total across a 2021 Techstars accelerator entry, a 2022 pre-seed led by Slauson & Co, and a 2024 seed led by Benchstrength, with stated use of proceeds including working capital loans and the Source talent marketplace.

Name

The Folklore Group

Legal name

The Folklore Group, Inc.

Website

https://thefolklore.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Folklore Group operates an all-in-one B2B/B2C commerce platform that helps 1,000+ small fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands from 40+ emerging markets publish products across 15+ channels, generate AI marketing content, access wholesale buyers, and ship globally via discounted carrier rates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Channel Commerce Platform

NAICS

All Other Miscellaneous Retailers (45999), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459), All Other Miscellaneous Retailers (459999)

SIC

Retail-Variety Stores (5331)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Marketplace Aggregators (Multi-seller in Social Feed) (CRAFANAB)

Keywords

• Wholesale marketplace
• Multi-channel commerce
• AI marketing tools
• Brand community platform
• Global e-commerce software

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Fees: Three-tier subscription model (Essentials, Plus, Premium) providing access to the platform's technology, member benefits, and community resources. Plans range from $39 to $149 per month, billed monthly, quarterly, or annually. Annual subscriptions offer 20% savings.
2. Transaction Fees: Platform charges transaction fees when orders are processed through its marketplace. Consumer storefront orders incur 6% fee, wholesale orders 2.5%, third-party marketplace orders 5-6%. Transaction fees are deducted from payouts before brands receive payment.
3. Shipping Label Fees: Fees for shipping label creation using discounted carrier rates (DHL, FedEx, UPS). A 10% fee applies when shipping labels are created for purposes other than processing orders.
4. Source Marketplace Fees: Service providers (freelancers and manufacturers) using The Folklore Source marketplace pay a 7.7% + $0.15 fee for each payment received from brands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Folklore operates an all-in-one commerce platform that enables independent fashion, beauty, home, and lifestyle brands to list products across multiple marketplaces and social channels, access wholesale buyers, generate AI-powered marketing content, and ship globally at discounted rates. The platform combines a B2B wholesale marketplace (Folklore Connect), a B2C consumer storefront (Folklore Shop), and a subscription SaaS product (Essentials/Plus/Premium tiers) with AI marketing tools, multi-channel analytics, and a vetted talent marketplace (The Folklore Source).

Product overview

The Folklore is an all-in-one B2B and B2C commerce platform built for small fashion, beauty, home, wellness, and lifestyle brands seeking global growth. The platform is organized around three subscription tiers — Essentials ($39/month), Plus ($79/month), and Premium by-invitation ($149/month) — and combines Multi-Channel Selling, Multi-Channel Analytics, Retailer Connect, and AI-powered marketing tools (Product Content Creator, Social Media Content Creator, Smart Ad Promotion) with operational infrastructure (Discounted Global Shipping, Dropship Order Management, Vetted Talent Sourcing via The Folklore Source) and community benefits (Mentorship Program, Community Events & Messaging, educational resources). The platform operates dual storefronts: a consumer-facing Folklore Shop (B2C) and Folklore Connect (B2B wholesale), both connected to multi-channel integrations including Nordstrom, Faire, TikTok Shop, Amazon, Etsy, Google Shopping, Pinterest, Wayfair, JOOR, and Shippo, alongside discounted shipping through DHL, FedEx, and UPS.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Folklore Connect: B2B wholesale platform connecting emerging market luxury and fashion brands with North American and European retailers.
• The Folklore Source

Products and services

• The Folklore Platform Subscription-based SaaS platform offering Essentials, Plus, and Premium tiers that provides independent fashion, beauty, home, and lifestyle brands with multi-channel selling, AI marketing tools, multi-channel analytics, retailer outreach, discounted global shipping, community resources, and mentorship. Plans range from $39 to $149 per month.
• The Folklore Shop (Consumer Storefront) Consumer-facing B2C storefront at thefolklore.com/shop featuring products across fashion, beauty, home, and lifestyle categories. Supports international customers across 40+ countries with discounted shipping rates.
• Folklore Connect (Wholesale Marketplace) B2B wholesale marketplace enabling global retailers (boutiques to enterprise) to discover 1,000+ diverse and sustainable brands across 40+ countries, browse by category/country/identity/values, place wholesale orders, message brands directly, request samples, and schedule appointments. Free for retailers to join.
• The Folklore Source Vetted talent marketplace connecting freelancers and manufacturers with brands seeking specialized services including marketing, web design, business and finance, production, creative services, and manufacturing capabilities (CMT, fabric sourcing, pattern making, sample making, techpack creation). Service providers pay 7.7% + $0.15 per payment received.
• Mentorship Program Mentorship program connecting independent brand founders with global retail and fashion experts across business strategy, finance, creative services, marketing, production, and web design for guided strategic support on international expansion.

Quantifiable outcome

• Save $2,000 and 100 hours monthly on essential selling and marketing tasks
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration17 records

AI capability7 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NordstromcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNordstrom partnered with The Folklore to feature diverse global brands through the platform's Multi-Channel Selling feature. Brands like Sentient and Tribal Eyes successfully launched on Nordstrom.com through this partnership. The collaboration enables emerging market brands to access U.S. retail fulfillment infrastructure.
• DHLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDHL provides discounted international shipping rates to The Folklore member brands, enabling up to 70% savings on shipping across 220+ territories. Brands can compare rates and generate labels through the platform.
• FedExminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFedEx provides discounted shipping rates to The Folklore member brands, enabling significant savings on international shipping. Integrated with the platform's shipping label creation system.
• UPSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUPS provides discounted shipping rates to The Folklore member brands, enabling significant savings on international shipping. Integrated with the platform's shipping label creation system.
• FairecoreTechnology or IntegrationFaire.com integration through The Folklore's Multi-Channel Selling tool enables brands to list on Faire without separate account setup. Brands manage Faire orders through the platform's central dashboard.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Faire: Faire is the largest B2B wholesale marketplace for independent brands and retailers of fashion, beauty, home, and lifestyle products. It is The Folklore's closest direct competitor, both via The Folklore's own wholesale marketplace and through integration into retailers' workflows.
• JOOR: JOOR is a global B2B wholesale platform and order management system used by fashion brands and retailers worldwide. The Folklore integrates JOOR directly and competes with it for wholesale workflow control of emerging-market brands.
• Ankorstore: Ankorstore is a European-focused B2B wholesale marketplace connecting independent brands with boutique retailers. It is comparable to The Folklore Connect in product and target customer but operates primarily in Europe rather than across The Folklore's emerging-market geographies.
• Tundra: Tundra is a zero-commission B2B wholesale marketplace for brands and retailers across home, apparel, and beauty. It directly competes with The Folklore's wholesale marketplace for independent brand discovery and ordering.
• NuORDER (NuOrder): NuORDER (a Lightspeed company) is a B2B wholesale platform for fashion and lifestyle brands and retailers, focused on line sheets, orders, and assortment planning — comparable to The Folklore's Folklore Connect storefront and Line Sheet Generator.

Broad incumbents

• Shopify: Shopify is the dominant SMB commerce platform with broad multi-channel selling, analytics, and AI tools via Shop App and Shopify Collective. It is a broad incumbent whose product surface competes with The Folklore's selling/marketing stack while serving a larger and overlapping SMB base.
• Squarespace: Squarespace offers SMB website building, commerce, and email/marketing tools popular with independent fashion and lifestyle brands. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with The Folklore's multi-channel selling and content/AI marketing capabilities for the same SMB cohort.

Emerging players

• Etsy: Etsy is a consumer marketplace for handmade and vintage goods including fashion, beauty, and home, and is integrated into The Folklore as a multi-channel listing destination. It overlaps as a discovery/transaction channel for the same independent-brand customer base.

Regional players

• Selency: Selency (formerly Brocante Lab) is a curated C2C/B2C marketplace for pre-owned and vintage home and lifestyle in Europe. It is an adjacent marketplace peer emphasizing curated design-led merchandising across home and lifestyle categories The Folklore also serves.

Others

• Pattern Brands: Pattern Brands acquires and operates a portfolio of direct-to-consumer lifestyle brands (e.g., home and wellness) and serves similar independent/emerging-brand audiences; it is adjacent ecosystem context rather than a direct competitor to The Folklore's platform play.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/shop.thefolklore
• TikToktiktok.com/@shop.thefolklore
• Xx.com/thefolklore
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheFolklore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-folklore

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Folklore Group