Inspiring Conversations with Lena Richardson of Trunkshop Apparel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lena Richardson.

Hi Lena, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was raised in Brooklyn, NY and come from parents who are both in the art world, so I suppose the creative thread was in me from a very young age. Although my parents are more in the fine arts scene, I always gravitated towards fashion. There are accounts of me at age two, requiring multiple outfit changes a day (which by the way, I still TOTALLY support that idea today!).

When high school era came around, I was immersed in art, once again, attending LaGuardia High School (a public, specialized school in NYC specializing in fine art and performing arts) and majoring in visual art there.

I think because I saw so many artists struggle financially throughout my upbringing, I gravitated towards my love of fashion even more. It was the realization that I could potentially be creative and actually make money doing it.

After high school I attended Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan with a major in Fashion Design and from there…. I honestly didn’t utilize my fashion degree until I opened up Trunkshop Apparel in 2024! Only took me 13 years.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely took me a long time to figure out how to utilize my talents and express my creativity via fashion. But once I figured out the idea to open a rave thrift store, I just took off running with the idea, and it’s been amazing so far.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Trunkshop Apparel is a buy/sell/trade clothing boutique that specializes in rave and festival attire. The idea originally came up when I noticed the rave scene blowing up like crazy in Southern California (and everywhere, for that matter!) The nature of rave clothing is: it costs a fortune, many of the outfits are so wild that they’re difficult to re-style for multiple wears and once people are done getting their cute Instagram photos in the outfits, they never get worn again.

Enter, Trunkshop Apparel!

The boutique has all different rave and festival brands all in one store PLUS everything is a small fraction of the price. And the best part is, customers can bring their gently-used party clothing in to sell it for cash (or TWICE as much in store credit).

I’m extremely proud of the concept and development of Trunkshop. It’s so important these days to think sustainably and additionally to offer a service to the community instead of just trying to sell them something.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
What an interesting question! I do believe that good (or bad) luck comes from the way that one behaves in life and the energies that we put out into the universe, as corny as that may sound. I have always tried my best to make smart decisions and I do believe that has benefitted me in a lot of instances in life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://trunkshopapparel.com
• Instagram: @trunkshopapparel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Trunkshop-Apparel-61559983880147/
• Other: TikTok: @trunkshopapparel

Image Credits
Jason Lazo