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I’m Carley Lake, a former fast fashion addict, California-native, Amsterdam resident, social impact and safety doer and marketer, Northwestern Journalism grad, and have been told I have the style of a “grandma mixed with a middle schooler on her first day of school.”
I’m the co-founder/CEO of Lucky Sweater, the app for discovering and trading items with people whose closets you love. (Use code “thoughtfulflamingo” for instant, free access when you sign up after you download on your phone!)
My co-founder Tanya, founding engineer Anthony, and I are creating a digital space that aims to help us all reconnect (or discover!) what we love and find people who will support and share these “weird” interests, hobbies, and creativity too.
A safe space where we feel welcomed, appreciated, and empowered. A space where we can learn, grow, share our favorite things, and have fun—together. We’re live with communities for slow fashion, handmade pieces and supplies, and vintage treasures, and plan to bring you a community for any of your favorite communities and things.
In early 2020 I left my job at Uber in SF as a Senior Safety Brand Strategist and interim Global Safety Brand Director running global driver and rider safety programs. Some of the projects I loved building included Uber’s women’s safety and sexual assault prevention commitment with RAINN, No More, Women of Color Network, and other leading NGOs; Uber’s global Community Guidelines; some of the first driver appreciation programs, and the company’s overall safety narrative and guiding principles.
I moved to Amsterdam to be with my partner and start my own sustainable fashion and tech business. It was a scary time to make a big change but I am excited to keep going.
My fashion journey has been a journey. I became pretty materialistic when I was 12 years old. I transferred from my LA neighborhood public school to a private school where I learned geometry, life sciences, and how to identify a real Louis Vuitton rainbow bag from a fake. One weekend I told my dad I wanted to look at stores on fancy Rodeo Drive. He said, “I have a better place—Melrose.” We walked into Wasteland. Diesel jeans for $35! Men’s vintage shirts like the ones Mary-Kate Olsen wore in “New York Minute” for $5! I was hooked on secondhand. I soon signed up for sewing classes to mend and make my own clothes too.
It wasn’t until a few years ago I realized the cost of my fast fashion and overconsumption days on both the environment and the people in the supply chain.
So with this knowledge and more from a lot of books, classes, podcasts, interviews, and conferences, I started Thoughtful Flamingo 🌿🦩—a place and community to showcase we don’t have to sacrifice style to be sustainable. I share ethical clothing practices, where to buy used around the world, interviews of people challenging the broken fashion industry, and ways we can all help push for change.
I’m excited to have you on this journey to a conscious wardrobe, a more just fashion system, and a cleaner planet with me. We’ll also have some fun along the way.