#MyStyleMyStory: LAURA
Hi Gorgeous!
July already?! We’re not complaining. Pass the sunscreen because we’re LOVING the sunshine here in Southern California! 😎 Speaking of, we’re so excited to announce our next Style Star of the Month! Our very own LA-based LAURA BARRETT!
In addition to being ambassadors for Kollectin, our Style Stars are passionate Boss Babes who aspire to inspire women across the globe through their style, business, music, travels, lifestyle, and art, and Laura is no exception. Her love of fashion, creativity, and versatility are traits that Kollectin deeply admires and values.
Get to know our most wonderful Style Star of the Month:
LAURA BARRETT
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF?
Sure! I am originally from Long Island, New York but I moved around a lot as a kid. I lived in Michigan, Florida, Arizona and the UK before moving to Los Angeles so I've kind of been all over the place. I am a huge foodie, I love to cook, and I'll try just about anything (food wise) once. I'm a huge feminist and I love supporting other women and female owned businesses, my favorite color is orange (weird, I know...), and I am deeply obsessed with Halloween. I originally moved to LA 7 years ago to pursue acting, which is still a huge passion of mine - especially comedy - and I kind of fell into the social media scene because my agent told me I needed followers & I had no real idea of what I was doing or the fact that I was creating a business and a brand. I started gaining followers by posting outfits and photos at places that I guess were considered "cool" (if you consider chilling in LA nightclubs cool because that's probably all I was doing at the age of 23 lol) and started to find my foothold in the industry. At a certain point a start up in Santa Monica approached me to head up their social media division because they liked what I was doing and while I personally thought I was WILDLY under-qualified a department head role, they believed in me and gave me a shot. My career in this crazy world kind of started from there. Aside from that, I tend to thrive under a bit of chaos, so I my apartment is always a bit of an organized mess and I tend to do my best work at the last minute.
WHAT ARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS?
Oh god, there's so many. I was asked to speak on my first panel at a marketing conference in Las Vegas this past year, so that felt like a really cool milestone, to be considered an "expert" in my field before I was even 30. I really enjoyed public speaking more than I thought I would so I'd love to be offered a keynote speaking position and eventually I'd love to do a Ted Talk.
I'd love to write a book. I promised my grandfather before he passed away that I would write a book about my life.
Another one would be finding a way to combine all my passions into one cohesive Job. Like, can I have a show where I make everyone laugh while cooking bomb ass food and wearing head to toe Chanel? Is that an aspiration?
And also, boring as it may sound to some, I am really looking forward to starting a family someday in the near future, maybe I'll become a mommy blogger or something? Who knows.
WHO ARE YOUR MUSIC AND FASHION INSPIRATIONS?
Ok well, let me start by telling you that my music taste is super all over the place and makes no sense. One minute I am blasting Backstreet Boys and the next I'm rolling down the freeway bumping Bone Thugs & Harmony, so, no one should really listen to me about music. But I guess I'll give this a shot anyway.
Currently I am loving Lil Nas X and everything he stands for, which probably sounds so insane coming from a 30 year old woman but I am loving how unapologetically himself he is. Coming out as a gay man who is involved in both rap AND country music - two genres that are notoriously homophobic, at only 20 years old, is really brave and inspiring. That and 'Old Town Road' is a dope song. Another would be Madonna. From a very young age my mom was playing Madonna songs for me and her whole career is just badass, she's such an icon.
My fashion inspirations are a bit easier. I love the Olsen twins. I love Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City, I realize that Carrie was a bit problematic but like, her wardrobe was NOT, ok. A more current one would be Lily Collins, I love everything she wears and HER BROWS man, I'd kill for those brows.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ACCESSORY? SOMETHING YOU CAN LEAVE HOME WITHOUT.
Hmmm.. I don't know if this counts as an accessory but I don't leave home without spritzing on a nice perfume. Other than that, I'd say i love a good dainty necklace.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?
It's constantly changing but I think overall I am pretty classic. I like trying new trends but I don't spend a ton of money on them. If I'm going to invest in something I want it to stand the test of time.
AS A KOLLECTIN STYLE STAR, HOW HAVE YOU BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN USING KOLLECTIN TO SHOW YOUR PERSONAL STYLE AND INFLUENCE OTHERS? WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT KOLLECTIN?
As I mentioned earlier I am a huge proponent of working with companies that are geared towards helping women succeed, so that's a big part of why Kollectin appealed to me so much. I use it to showcase the things I am loving, I like to throw in my favorite dainty pieces but also some fun statement pieces that you can use to mix things up! It's great to be able to have all your favorite pieces in one place and be able to direct your followers to a tiny boutique and just say "oh you like this stuff? Head to this one super easy place to get all of it, and it's priced lower than anywhere else you could find it online, so everyone wins."
WE ARE SUCH A BIG FAN AND WANT TO SEE MORE OF YOU! WHAT CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING FROM YOU IN THE NEAR FUTURE?
There's so many things coming up! I am currently in a long distance relationship with a lovely man in Europe, so I have kind of switched gears on my page to make it a bit more travel focused, so that's new and exciting. I also want to start focusing a bit more on body positivity. My body changed a lot as I crept into my 30s and it's taken me a moment to get comfortable with having curves, so I'll likely be opening up a bit about that journey soon. Outside of social media I'll also be contributing to some comedy podcasts coming out soon so stay tuned for those as well!
