Behind Locals Closet
A personal story about where this idea really came from
Locals Closet didn’t start as a business plan. It started as a feeling. A vision that found me in 2018, long before I had the language or confidence to call it anything.
I was in my college apartment, reading Peta Kelly’s Earth Is Hiring, imagining what it would feel like to land in a new city and have a wardrobe already waiting for you. Not just any wardrobe — but one that fit the culture, the climate, the style of the place. A closet that let you arrive lightly, step in seamlessly, and feel part of the rhythm without overthinking how you looked.
Not touristy.
Not fast fashion.
Not a costume.
But local. Artful. Intentional.
That idea has never left me.
1. Fashion as a Doorway Into Culture
Clothing is one of the fastest ways to feel like you belong somewhere.
When you have the right pieces, you move differently. You participate more fully. You blend without losing yourself. You stop worrying about whether you “look right” and you simply live.
Locals Closet exists to make style feel like an invitation — not an intimidation.
To let women show up in any city and feel part of it right away.
2. The Circular, Shared, Feminine Economy
Shared closets have always existed among women. Long before sustainability became a buzzword, we were swapping, borrowing, handing things down, and passing things forward.
For me, it started young.
I grew up wanting access to my older sister’s closet more than anything.
I collected bags of Free People hand-me-downs from a girl named Holly — pieces that shaped the beginning of my style.
I didn’t have the budget for seasonal shopping, but clothing was still how I expressed myself.
Sharing clothes wasn’t just practical.
It was connection, identity, play, generosity, and belonging.
As adults, we lose that. Locals Closet brings it back.
3. The Price of a Wardrobe Should Not Limit Self-Expression
A basic closet today costs thousands of dollars. I realized this viscerally while creating a sample rack in my basement — simple coats, sweaters, fleeces. Nothing designer. It totaled over $2,000.
That moment affirmed something I already knew:
Money shouldn’t be the barrier between a woman and her self-expression.
Locals Closet offers other ways to participate in fashion:
borrow
rent
share
swap
try on
collectively own
and only buy what you truly love.
Fashion becomes a community resource, not a private luxury.
4. The Childhood Root of Play and Imagination
One of the deepest threads in this brand is play.
As little girls, we understood clothing intuitively. We tried on identities. We experimented with characters, energy, archetypes. That’s the psychological concept of enclothed cognition — the idea that what we wear affects how we feel and how we’re perceived.
As adults, we stop playing. We become practical and self-conscious.
Locals Closet brings back the magic through swaps, capsules, curated racks, and what I call “higher-self fashion moments” — trying on pieces you’d never choose for yourself, but that unlock something in you.
It’s adult dress-up, but with meaning.
5. The Travel Closet Dream
The other half of the brand — the part that’s been with me from the beginning — is the travel element.
Imagine arriving at a boutique hotel, Airbnb, or extended stay apartment and being greeted by a curated rack of pieces from local designers:
the perfect trousers
the silk slip
the linen set
the structured jacket
the city boots
the sweater that photographs beautifully
A wardrobe that feels like a scene from 27 Dresses — but editorial, intentional, soulful.
You don’t waste time shopping for basics.
You don’t feel out of place.
You don’t overpack.
You feel immersed in the city’s fashion language.
That is Locals Closet: travel meets style meets cultural integration.
6. A Return to Community, Not Consumption
Locals Closet asks a different set of questions:
What if we shopped in each other’s closets?
What if we reduced waste through connection instead of guilt?
What if beautiful clothing didn’t have to cost a paycheck?
What if fashion became fun again?
Women have always shared resources — emotional, practical, creative.
We’re simply formalizing something ancient, with intention and style.
The Essence of Locals Closet
The deeper why
Locals Closet exists to return fashion to its roots: play, community, creativity, and shared resources.
It invites women to:
step into their power through style
explore new identities
share instead of over-consume
feel at home in any city
express themselves without financial limitation
connect the way we once did when we were younger
Locals Closet is fashion as empowerment.
Fashion as belonging.
Fashion as culture.
Fashion as play.
Fashion as story.
Fashion as shared abundance.
It’s not just a swap. Not just a curated rack.
It’s a new way of experiencing style — together.
