Katie's Closet Begins Rebrand
By Sinead Quinn
On Sep. 18, Katie’s Closet announced their reopening rebrand. I had the chance to speak with Maya Van Grootheest ‘28 (Marketing and Digital Strategy, Fashion Merchandising), the Marketing Intern at Katie’s Closet, who showed me around the space and explained the rebrand.
Van Grootheest described Katie’s Closet as a “free store” which “provide[s] professional wear to anybody who needs it.” Their mission is to provide equal access opportunities to help people prepare for interviews and “dressing your best.”
Because Katie’s Closet is student-led by interns like Van Grootheest, the store has not yet held a consistent brand identity. Van Grootheest, her co-intern and the new site supervisor, Dr. Emily Worrall (Assistant Professor and Department Chair of Fashion Design and Merchandising), are hoping to change that.
Their goal this year is to grow and retain a customer base, maintaining their mission and vision statement while building a stronger brand identity. As Van Grootheest explained, “We’re trying to promote ourselves better to the St. Kate’s population because we want everybody to have access” to professional clothing.
As Marketing Intern, Van Grootheest is focused on the promotional aspect of the brand. She is working to grow and standardize Katie’s Closet’s social media presence, particularly their Instagram (@katiescloset.scu). Her efforts are already reflecting in the brand’s social media analytics. “We’re also doing a number of collaborations with student organizations,” Van Grootheest adds, “We want to reach people.”
On Sep. 24, Katie’s Closet collaborated with Career Development to host a pop-up event dressing people for the Career Fair. The brand also plans to collaborate with the Fashion and Business Clubs this year.
Another aspect of the rebrand is creating a brand guide that reflects Katie’s Closet’s goals and identity. They are collaborating with a graphic design student to create a new logo that aligns better with the aesthetics of business attire. Van Grootheest wants the brand guide to emphasize the fact that Katie’s Closet is “trying to enhance people’s careers.” Other changes include instating image guidelines, streamlining typography, and potentially developing a website.
The changes aren’t limited to the brand’s online presence, however. Van Grootheest added that the team is working on optimizing the physical store as well.
Awareness of Katie’s Closet is already growing. Van Grootheest said that within the first two days of opening week, the store “sold” 140 pieces. She explains that the Closet is always looking for donations. The Closet is located on the 3rd floor of the CdC and is open 9am-3pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 2pm-6pm on Wednesdays.
