Rising Stars: Meet Carly Lynn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carly Lynn.

Hi Carly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I had the idea for Astra when I moved to New York City in 2018. Despite growing up in New York, 8 years on the west coast had made me a wimp in cold weather (60 degrees = winter). This inspired the search for a fashionable, warm, foldable jacket I could bring around the city with me that wasn’t a bulky coat.

It took about a year to design the Astra jacket while also working with various suppliers to source Astra’s custom metallic fabric. Six iterations later, Astra was ready for launch!

Astra jackets are made from space blanket material – same as the blankets given to marathon runners at the end of a race! The fabric uniquely retains 80-90% of a wearers body heat and is extremely lightweight making it the perfect choice for life on-the-run, music festivals, outdoor dining, beach walks, hiking, etc. The Astra brand inspires individuality and an adventurous lifestyle through the simple mantra: Find Your Light.

Astra soft-launched on March 18, 2021 and sold out of inventory within the first 48 hours! The next shipment of Astra jackets will be available May 30 and will include Women’s, Men’s and Kid’s sizes. Pre-orders are currently accepted! Building the brand has been extremely rewarding and I am hoping to continue spreading light around the globe.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Astra has been a steady winding road. Communicating with manufacturers overseas comes with challenges. There are frequent back and forth conversations discussing details timelines, corrections, quality, etc. Patience is a must in the world of fashion. I also work full-time so maintaining balance between my job and Astra requires focus and planning.

There were also certain moments in the building process of Astra where I experienced true doubt/imposter syndrome. Starting something new is scary! For those doubtful moments, I am extremely grateful for my very supportive network of family and friends who continued to encourage me and Astra’s development.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Astra was built on two main principles:
1. Highly fashionable can also be highly functional.
2. Life is more fun when lived adventurously.

Astra jackets are designed to amplify your lifestyle and inspire individuality. I see Astra having a huge footprint at music festivals, concerts and Burning Man. The world is in a very special transitional period where society is slowly returning to “normal” and people want to get outside, get moving and find their shine!

In addition to running Astra, I also currently work at Facebook as a Partner Manager. I am fortunate to work with an amazing team and do a job I love. I focus specifically on working with Public Figures and Digital Publishers to help them achieve their strategy goals on Facebook and Instagram. I have loved how social and creative my role at Facebook allows me to be.

How do you think about happiness?
Spreading positivity and seeing others embrace their uniqueness makes me happy. Nothing brings me greater joy than watching someone do something they love. When I was in college, I wrote my entrance essay on wanting to be Oprah Winfrey because Oprah was able to bring joy into the world. That motivation still inspires me every day.

Other things that make me happy are spending time with my family and friends, hosting dinner parties and game nights, painting and playing with my puppy, Ruby.

Pricing:

• $169 (with 15% off first order + free shipping)

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@theastrashop.com
• Website: www.theastrashop.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theastrashop/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theastrashop