Meet Lily Posternak of Common Threads

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lily Posternak.

Hi Lily, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the world to an abrupt halt. I was in Puerto Rico on spring break with my teammates when our lives were turned upside down. I made it to Florida to quarantine with my parents, waiting for this nightmare to end and returning to Duke to continue our spring field hockey season and finish my junior year. But as the weeks went on, I realized I wouldn’t be returning any time soon. Well, I still was interning for a tech startup (called The Social Institute) and enrolled in classes, but compared to my schedule before the pandemic, it felt like I had all the time in the world. I had literally nothing to do for the first time in a long time.

It was during this time when Common Threads was born. It came to me from my own experience as a student-athlete at Duke. I had an idea since my sophomore year but needed more time and energy to flush it out. No disposable income and the pressure to have a different outfit for every event were a tricky combo, not to mention my size was constantly changing from training (and just being a 21-year-old female).

And I knew I wasn’t alone. My friends and I were constantly swapping clothes and raiding each other’s closets, looking for something to wear out to dinner, to class, going out, for job interviews and career fairs – all the different occasions a college student is required to dress for. Going to the mall didn’t fit into our schedules, and shopping online was overwhelming and time-consuming unless we wanted to pay extra for express shipping. Of course, only one or two things fit, so we had to worry about returns – printing the return label and taking the package to a shipping carrier to send it back. Feeling like we always needed something new to wear but never having the time or money to afford the style we wanted was a constant battle. With the motivation to solve this shared struggle and the help of a class project I did that semester on the harmful effects of fast fashion, I started dedicating any free time to building a sustainable, communal closet on campus.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
Far from it! Every day of this journey has presented a new challenge. Although there have been plenty of times when I’ve thought I reached my breaking point, the fulfillment I feel from building my own business makes it all worth it. Creating an e-commerce platform without a technical background has been a challenge from the very beginning. I knew I would need help and advice from others with specialized experience. With their help and through my research, I have learned so much throughout this journey! The knowledge I have and continue to gain has been one of the things I love about founding my own business. Another challenge I’ve felt, especially during my graduate year at Duke, was a certain kind of pressure to follow my classmates to work a corporate job or for another Fortune 500 company. This pressure wasn’t intentionally applied by Duke, my professors, or my classmates whatsoever; it was more so this feeling of expectation that graduates from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business would be making a base salary higher than the majority of college graduates. I realized that while those are excellent jobs, they just weren’t for me at this time. Even though I knew following graduation, I wanted to carve my path. Having all my friends take a very different path and receive job offers from companies like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and Deloitte made me question if I was making the right decision. It took me a while to truly feel comfortable and worthy of following my dreams. And then, of course, there is the uncertainty and risk involved in starting your own business. Every day, every decision you make and every decision you don’t make has a direct impact on the outcome of your venture. Luckily, I’ve been involved in high-pressure environments ever since I started playing competitive sports. The skills I’ve acquired from being part of different teams ever since I could remember and ultimately playing DI field hockey at Duke University has helped me overcome many of the challenges I’ve faced during this two-year process.

Great, so let’s talk business. Please tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others.
Common Threads is an online rental and lending platform designed for college students by college students. Our monthly membership allows you to borrow clothes from a shared campus closet to look and feel your best, no matter the occasion. We’re constantly uploading new styles from featured brands and our members, so you never get bored of your clothes again! We know how busy college life is and that you only sometimes have the time, money, or closet space to keep updating your look. Although the clothing rental and clothing resale spaces have each become more and more populated, only a few companies have combined the two. Our members can rent clothes for various occasions or try styles they may not be able to afford while simultaneously making money from the clothes in their own closets when they share them with our community. We strive to aid in transforming the fashion industry by keeping the clothes we own in circulation and out of landfills for longer. We incorporate eco-friendly practices into almost every aspect of our business, from our reusable mailer bags to sticking within a 10-mile radius of our members to cut carbon emissions from shipping and returns.

We love surprises, fun facts, and incredible stories. Can you share something that might surprise us?
Although I’ve mentioned it a few times, I played DI field hockey at Duke University! This is often surprising to people I’ve worked with outside of Duke, as Common Threads is a fashion startup. Even though I’m not quite working in the sports world right now, the lessons I’ve learned as an athlete have applied to all other aspects of my life. Sports will always be a huge part of my life; they have undoubtedly shaped me into the person I am today.

Pricing:

• $69/month
• $50 for first month’s membership – limited time only!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.commonthreads.com
• Instagram: @commonthreads.duke

Image Credits
Personal photo: Chris Theodore Additional photos: Weekend:IN