{"id":9582,"date":"2025-07-30T21:04:23","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T21:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/consultingluxe.ai\/?p=9582"},"modified":"2025-07-30T21:04:23","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T21:04:23","slug":"interview-highlights-a-conversation-with-caroline-lakshmanan-co-founder-ceo-of-cloud-closet-on-fashion-ai-community-confidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/consultingluxe.ai\/de\/interview-highlights-a-conversation-with-caroline-lakshmanan-co-founder-ceo-of-cloud-closet-on-fashion-ai-community-confidence\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview Highlights: A Conversation with Caroline Lakshmanan \u2014 Co-Founder & CEO of Cloud Closet \u2014 on Fashion, AI, Community & Confidence"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog post provides a summarized version of our conversation with Caroline Lakshmanan, featuring key highlights with slight alterations for readability. To listen to the full discussion, check out our podcast on Spotify<\/a> and <\/em>Amazon Musik<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this edition of The LuxeAI Highlights<\/em>, I sat down with Caroline Lakshmanan<\/strong>, the visionary co-founder and CEO of Cloud Closet<\/strong>, a fashion-tech startup rethinking how we shop, get dressed, and interact with our wardrobes. With deep roots in global luxury fashion and a human-centered approach to technology, Caroline is building something that\u2019s as smart as it is soulful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We talked about everything from her early days in retail to why the future of fashion might look more like a group chat than a department store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Buyer to Builder: Caroline\u00b4s Global Fashion Journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Julia: <\/strong>Let\u2019s start at the beginning. How did you go from working at Parisian fashion houses like Celine to co-founding a fashion-tech startup in Austin?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caroline:<\/strong> I started in luxury retail \u2014 from Bergdorf Goodman to Old Navy and Sears \u2014 and later studied at Institut Fran\u00e7ais de la Mode. After working at places like Celine under Phoebe Philo and Christian Louboutin, I realized I had a deep understanding of merchandising but also a desire to build something of my own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually I moved back to the U.S., worked in fintech startups, and learned how to build and scale digital products. That experience, blending fashion, tech, and business, brought me to Cloud Closet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notes-App Fashion Hacks to Social Wardrobes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Julia:<\/strong> I love the origin story of Cloud Closet, especially the viral TikTok trend with outfit \u201cstickers\u201d in the Notes app. Can you tell us how that sparked the idea?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caroline:<\/strong> Totally! I was part of that trend. People were taking outfit selfies, turning them into stickers, and organizing them in Notes. It was fun but clunky. That\u2019s when it clicked: people are already doing this, but there\u2019s no platform truly designed for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We wanted to solve the friction in wardrobe apps, especially onboarding. The average user doesn\u2019t want to manually photograph and tag every piece of clothing. So we reimagined it as a social wardrobe platform where people can create outfit playlists and get inspired without the overwhelm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why AI Needs Emotion (and Outfit Playlists)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Julia: <\/strong>What are users loving most about Cloud Closet so far?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caroline:<\/strong> Honestly? The emotional boost. Our power users often say they feel better about themselves. Seeing all your past outfits organized makes you realize: \u201cWait, I do have great style.\u201d Personally, I rediscovered a jumpsuit I had forgotten about, and that saved me on a busy day with back-to-back events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, people are asking for peer-to-peer features, renting or borrowing pieces directly. That\u2019s where we\u2019re headed next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s talk AI. What\u2019s Caroline\u00b4s philosophy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Julia:<\/strong> Let\u2019s talk AI. What\u2019s your philosophy on using AI in fashion?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caroline: <\/strong>AI is a tool, not a replacement. It\u2019s great for surfacing ideas or organizing data, but it can\u2019t replace emotion. Getting dressed is personal. I\u2019m not asking ChatGPT whether these Miu Miu shoes fit me well. I want feedback from a friend who\u2019s actually worn them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why community matters. We\u2019re building Cloud Closet to feel human, not robotic. And I think the next wave of fashion tech will succeed only if it embraces that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building with Impact: From Group Chats to Dress for Success<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Julia:<\/strong> I also loved hearing about your partnership with Dress for Success. Can you share more?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caroline: <\/strong>Yes! Dress for Success helps unemployed women prepare for job interviews by providing them with two outfits. We\u2019re working on a way for Cloud Closet to help extend that by offering digital wardrobe planning, styling tools, and eventually, peer-to-peer access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s deeply meaningful to me. I went to an all-girls high school. I\u2019ve spent my career around powerhouse women. Helping someone feel confident walking into a room? That\u2019s what it\u2019s all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Social Commerce is the Future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Julia: <\/strong>Social commerce is exploding. How do you see it evolving, and where does Cloud Closet fit in?

Caroline<\/strong>: Right now, platforms like TikTok and Instagram dominate. But they\u2019re not built for fashion discovery \u2014 they\u2019re generalized. We want to become the LinkedIn for getting dressed, a place where you can curate, share, and feel inspired by people you actually relate to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re not just a tool; we\u2019re creating a new way to interact with your wardrobe, with your friends, and with fashion itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Look into the Crystal Ball<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Julia: <\/strong>Fast forward to 2030. What does your dream wardrobe look like and what role does Cloud Closet play in people\u2019s lives?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caroline:<\/strong> I hope my wardrobe is even more fabulous and adventurous, but also lighter, more fluid. I want to rent and lend more. I\u2019m already doing that through apps like Borrow, and it\u2019s empowering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for Cloud Closet? I see it as the go-to social shopping destination, globally. A place where discovery meets community. Where style meets sustainability. And where people feel good about what they wear, and how they got there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julia: <\/strong>Caroline, thank you for sharing your story. You\u2019re building something truly exciting, and I\u2019m rooting for you all the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caroline:<\/strong> Thank you, Julia. This was such a fun conversation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udfa7 Listen to the Full Episode<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This conversation is full of insights on fashion, AI, community, and courage.
\ud83c\udfa7 Listen now on Spotify<\/a> and <\/em>Amazon Musik<\/em><\/a><\/strong> and share it with someone who might love this<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2728 Stay Connected<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd17 Caroline Lakshmanan<\/strong>
\u2192 Follow on LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc57 Cloud Closet<\/strong>
\u2192 Explore the platform<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcac Julia Lach<\/strong>
\u2192 Connect on LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Luxe AI Highlights<\/em> is a podcast exploring where premium retail meets emerging tech \u2014 with a spotlight on women shaping the future.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This blog post provides a summarized version of our conversation with Caroline Lakshmanan, featuring key highlights with slight alterations for readability. To listen to the full discussion, check out our podcast on Spotify and Amazon Music. In this edition of The LuxeAI Highlights, I sat down with Caroline Lakshmanan, the visionary co-founder and CEO of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9600,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artificial-intelligence-ai","category-creativity","category-fashion-tech"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/consultingluxe.ai\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/consultingluxe.ai\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/consultingluxe.ai\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consultingluxe.ai\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consultingluxe.ai\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9582"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/consultingluxe.ai\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9582\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9601,"href":"https:\/\/consultingluxe.ai\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9582\/revisions\/9601"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consultingluxe.ai\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/consultingluxe.ai\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consultingluxe.ai\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consultingluxe.ai\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}