Rose alumna Claire Taft is advancing her passion for fashion with the launch of an innovative business called The Book. As a student at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Taft recently became the co-founder of this virtual styling service after spending years gradually building her business. 

     Her interest in the fashion business developed during her sophomore year at Rose, where Taft began by selling pieces of her wardrobe on an Instagram account. What started as a casual way to make room in her closet eventually grew in popularity and followers in the online community. 

     “I started selling my clothes because I had so many good pieces I would never wear again,” Taft said. “I started on Instagram with a few friends and sold clothes on my Instagram, and then my account grew faster and faster.” 

     With this gain in popularity, Taft turned this account into a platform for styling and curating clothing pieces and outfits for her followers to rent or use as inspiration. 

     “I link items from different brands and receive a small commission whenever somebody purchases an item,” Taft said. “I also started a rental account where I have a bunch of dresses that I've already worn, and I rent them out just to my followers.”

     Building on this foundation, on Oct. 9, Taft expanded her platform and created The Book with her business partner, Kelly Jones, to create a personal styling service for their followers. The Book has acquired five other stylists who offer services for their customers on a more personal level to connect with them. 

     “We made it into an app so that it's really accessible, and you can upload your closet and remove the background so it's super clean,” Taft said. “We can easily drag them into edits and new things that we think would help elevate your wardrobe or just style existing pieces.”

     Taft and Jones designed the app so the customers can choose between the five stylists to match closely to the customers’ personalities and fashion senses. They help customize their clients by introducing new wardrobe pieces or putting together outfits with their current style. 

     “As a new customer, you would just purchase either six edits, or you can purchase an hour or a few hours, and just fill out an intake form and give your stylist a better understanding of your style,” Taft said. “After, you could either have those six edits sent straight to you, or we meet over Zoom to discuss your wardrobe.”

     As a co-founder, Taft has weekly meetings where they plan schedules, including in-person events and social media outreach. The Book aspires to create these events for its members to deepen their connections with their clients.

     “We're all going to Charleston in two weeks, and it's just really fun planning in-person stuff because my account has pretty much just been online,” Taft said.

     In the next few years, Taft hopes The Book will reach out to a variety of age groups and continue to grow their following and brand awareness. By working with various social media aspects and planning more events, they hope their brand will become exclusive and unique compared to any other service out there. 

     “We haven't been able to do much just because we are just getting started, but we want to have even just small events in different locations where influencers or stylists come to grow brand awareness,” Taft said. “We're actually in the middle of working on a college ambassador program, so our ambassadors will be able… share our brand with their friends and family.”

     Through The Book, Taft intends to extend her goals in fashion and connect with people sharing the same enthusiasm for styling. From beginning her account as a Rose student to becoming a co-founder of The Book in college, Taft has stuck with her passion in life. 

     “I would say that my inspiration is really connecting with people who want fashion help but are also just excited about the pieces that I pull for them,” Taft said. “I also love building friendships with my followers and people that have a shared passion for fashion.”