Meet Kelly

Hi, I’m Kelly—founder of Rue Saint Paul. Fashion has always been my language of self-expression, a way to channel individuality, creativity, and courage.

Rue Saint Paul was born from a belief that self-expression means more when it’s grounded in integrity—that what we wear should reflect not just who we are, but what we stand for.

Ten years in the wrong lane

Fashion was never the plan. I grew up in a family of scientists, engineers, and doctors, and took what felt like the practical path into Finance. I spent ten years there—working hard, checking every box—but something was missing. I felt quietly disconnected, like I was living someone else’s idea of success. I kept thinking there had to be something more.

A spark was brewing, though I had no idea where it would lead—only that I wanted to build something more meaningful, more creative, and more aligned with how I wanted to live in the world.

A vision in Paris

A few years later, that search for something more led me to Paris—and to a small street called Rue Saint Paul. Living there shifted how I saw things. The city had its own rhythm, one that made me slow down and pay attention—to how people carried themselves, how they dressed, how they told their stories without saying a word.

That’s when clothing started to make sense to me in a new way. It wasn’t about trends or labels, it was about intention. About how what we wear can reflect who we are, what we value, and how we move through the world. As someone who’s always been an introvert, I understood that very much. Paris helped me see that expression and integrity could live in the same space—and that’s the vision I carried home.

Not just another store

What we wear can reflect who we are and how we want to live. I didn’t know it then, but that perspective would become the foundation for Rue Saint Paul. I didn’t come from fashion, and when I launched in 2018, I knew almost nothing about the industry. The more I learned, the harder it became to reconcile my love for clothing with what I was discovering—the waste, the overproduction, the impact on people and the planet. I didn’t want to build something that added to that.

Rue Saint Paul became my way of rethinking what a neighborhood store could be: a space that values progress over perfection, and purpose as much as style. A space to champion independent designers who care—brands doing the hard work to create responsibly and prove that fashion can have integrity. A place rooted in circularity and sustainability, where people can rent, resell, and discover pieces made to last. Over time, it’s grown into what I call Brooklyn’s sustainable closet—a community built around thoughtful consumption, self-expression, and the belief that small, intentional choices can add up to something much bigger.