Hub Culture has named Rebecca Pinette as the network's first Fashion Director, taking the helm of Hub Maison, an innovative fashion retail and pop-up concept. Hub Maison first appeared in 2010 as a 6 week pop-up during New York Fashion Week in collaboration with Sportmax, and most recently appeared as a pop-up collaboration with couture designer Veronica Moncho Lobo and others over the 2010/2011 holiday season in London.

Going forward, Hub Maison will feature an expanded collection of designers and fashion concepts available online, with periodic arrivals in world capitals at key fashion moments.

As Fashion Director, Pinette will be responsible for the development and curation of Hub Maison, and becomes the leading fashion voice of the Hub Culture network at large. Over the coming season, a dozen emerging designers from around the world will be selected and featured in Maison, bringing a highly curated, crisp, fresh voice to online fashion retail via a new Twitter presence @HubMaison.

Particular pieces will be available in the expanding network of Hub Culture conceptual projects, or featured as selections in over 120 city based digital Hubs now in development. Hub Culture's Ven digital currency is the payment system in Hub Maison, providing designers a single global pricing platform along with a sophisticated order pipeline and infrastructure to enable sales to anywhere on Earth.

Pinette brings a unique perspective to the role. A Texas native, she got her first taste of extreme fashion at the tail end of Manhattan's golden club scene, influenced by and collaborating with the likes of Michael Alig and "Little" Louis Vega. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence, she moved to Paris and walked the runway for designers like Martin Margiela, Ralph Lauren and Thierry Mugler, then became involved in the Internet industry with a string of startups and projects ranging from fashion editorial to sexy pleasure toys. Her cutting edge style and eye for innovation bring a unique mix to the role of Fashion Director for a social collaboration network - unusual in that it involves many components: curation, retail, editorial, and the development of influencer relationships.

In addition to bringing new designer looks to the global Ven economy, Pinette will actively work to bring the global fashion community to one social place, as part of Hub Maison's collaboration group. This fashionable VIP room is designed to connect and engage fashion influencers from across the planet, including buyers, designers, and periphery stars in the global fashion orbit. The role is based in Paris, where she will also serve as the Hub Culture Paris Consul.

The expanded collection of designers featured in Hub Maison will debut during the Venice Biennale, 2 June, 2011.

http://hub.vg/Maison Twitter: @hubmaison