Rebuilding Digital Closets: Caroline Lakshmanan
Written by Ruby Her
In the world of technology, what you build often defines how people interact with others and express themselves. So what if the two could come together to spark collaboration, inspire creativity, and connect people in ways they didn’t even know they needed?
This is exactly the challenge that Cloud Closet, co-founded by Caroline Lakshmanan and Dr. Tucker Sharp, sets out to solve.
The Vault couldn’t help but buzz with excitement as students filled the room to hear Caroline, a co-founder of Closet Cloud, speak about her journey in building a fashion-tech startup. She began by painting a relatable picture: the frustration of staring at a packed closet and still feeling like you have nothing to wear.
In the world of fashion, what you wear is often the first thing people notice. Your jewelry. That jacket. What shoes you decided to slip on that morning. But what if your wardrobe could do more than hang quietly behind your closet doors, waiting to be slipped off your hangers? What if it could actually help spark conversations, challenge you to experiment with your current style, and even connect you with other people who understand your aimed aesthetic and fashion quirks?
That problem, she explained, actually sparked the idea for Closet Cloud, an app designed to assist users in digitally organizing their wardrobes, track what they wear, plan outfits for events, and even swap or share clothing with friends. As Caroline walked us through the app, it was easy to imagine flipping through a digital closet to rediscover special pieces and making bold fashion statements. Beyond the practical side of the technology, she shared candid stories of the entrepreneurial journey, including the trial-and-error of launching a startup and the small victories that kept her motivated.
After living in fashion capitals like New York and Paris, Caroline also saw firsthand how style evolves across different cultures. When she began analyzing digital closet apps, she discovered that they all shared a similar flaw: they focused on organization, but not connection.
“They all missed the social aspect,” she explains.
Take Coachella. When users search for outfit inspiration, most results pull from years-old influencer posts. The same old recycled looks. For her app, Caroline envisioned a platform where “normal” people, including college students, young professionals, and creatives, could share real, current inspiration with one another.
From Scratch
Like many startups, Cloud closet didn’t launch with instant momentum, which Caroline is transparent about.
“Building something can be demoralizing at first,” she says.
But of course, progress followed persistence. Since its founding in 2018, the company has secured angel funding (an early-stage investment that allows founders to turn their ideas into reality) and has developed significant traction. Today, Cloud Closet boasts over 10,000 brand partnerships, a 4,500 person waitlist, and has worked with Microsoft Shopping.
What’s Next for Cloud Closet?
The app’s roadmap is already ambitious and community-focused, so what should we expect next?
Upcoming features include:
Public and private plans, giving users control over what they share
A dedicated college student section
The ability to tag specific clothing pieces within posts
Polls and prompts to encourage interaction
Personalized recommendations
Long term, she sees Cloud Closet expanding beyond a single platform. More specifically, in ten years, she hopes to acquire a strategic partnership with clothing rental services!
A Message For The New Generation
Cloud Closet has become a space for fashion-focused youth and young professionals to get involved. For those interested in developing their own website or app, whether that be in fashion and/or STEM, Caroline encourages students to create content, get involved with internships, and provide feedback for platforms like hers.
She briefly spoke about her experiences as a woman in STEM, and to those students who are majoring in it, her advice is simple: network.
Caroline has interviewed professionals all around the world, building connections that strengthened both her technical knowledge and business strategy. In industries still navigating gender disparities, she believes visibility and relationship-building are key.
Redefining Digital Style
Cloud Closet is still growing, but by shifting focus from influencers to individuals and archives to real-time inspiration, Caroline is building a platform that feels less like a highlight reel and more like a community.