A new dating app has finally updated the granddaddy of all pick-up lines–“What's your sign?”– for the new millennium.
Blackcraft Zodiac, a mobile application released May 16 by Orange-based clothing and lifestyle brand Blackcraft Cult, has aligned the power of the stars with the screens of our smartphones to service locals looking for love. Users provide their birthdate as part of their online profile, and are matched via GPS with singles in their area carrying compatible Zodiac signs (think Tinder for astrology buffs). For company founders Bobby Schubenski and Jim Somers, calibrating others' horoscopes flowed naturally from their own celestial fortunes.
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“We've both been around astrology our whole lives, and we know how certain star signs align better with others,” Somers says. “I'm recently married, and her star sign aligns with mine, so I'm living proof.”
The Blackcraft boys are putting their money – and their hearts – where their code is. Somers says Schubenski has been using the app himself (he's a Virgo) and the company plans to send two “astrologically conscious lovebirds” on a trip aboard the Virgin Galactic Starship once the program reaches a broader audience.
Since its launch on the Android platform Friday, Blackcraft Zodiac has been downloaded more than 650 times (as of Monday), and Somers expects that tapping into the power of astrology will expand their crowd even further.
“Astrology is as large of a business as global energy,” Somers says. “[More than] five billion people check their horoscope everyday, so we're targeting a big audience.”
Since Somers and Schubenski started the company in July 2012, Blackcraft Cult has grown from a small T-shirt imprint to a multi-million dollar brand with a product line that includes clothing, candles, coffee and serious digital charisma for those that prefer darker things in life. If you're into cats, coffee and spells, this is the brand for you. The Zodiac app was born fully-formed during one of the duo's brainstorming sessions, Somers says – he and Schubenski locked themselves in a room and hammered out the layout and features of the app before handing it off to a team of designers in Australia, who finished the job.
Blackcraft claims a social media network of more than 15 million followers, and has become the apparel of choice for musicians, celebrities and other influence peddlers. The company is also tinkering with a WhatsApp-like texting application, BCC Messenger, which will include a signature slate of NSFW emojis. Schubenski and Somers integrate pagan and anti-religious imagery throughout their product line to encourage their audience to find their own path to personal fulfillment. For singles using the Zodiac app, that path could be a bit easier to see in the starlight.
Blackcraft Zodiac is currently available for Android users through Google Play, and is scheduled for release in the Apple App Store this week. More information is available at bczodiac.com.
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