Locker lifestyle is on a mission to make “wearable lockers” to safely stash and store basic necessities for all ages and activities.
Our story begins when our fearless founder, Kat Samardzija, had her valuables stolen while exercising. As a Division ll college athlete, she spent a lot of time on the go and at the gym. When she learned how common the theft issue is, she wanted to create a simple solution. Out of necessity, her first product was dreamed, sketched and sewn at her mother’s bridal salon. Out of popular demand, the products she made and wore on campus, unexpectedly and suddenly bloomed into a booming business. Welcome to Locker Lifestyle.
Milestones
Just when the new business was in a fantastic upward trajectory — patterns were complete, fabrics were stocked, production was in full swing and Etsy selling was launched — the bridal salon suffered an utterly devastating fire. Two female entrepreneurs, my mother and I, watched as our businesses burned to the ground. Everything was lost, not even a zipper or prototype survived.
Fighting the desire to give up, our founder used her competitive spirit and entered a local collegiate entrepreneurial pitch contest. She won first place and $7,500 to bring Locker Lifestyle® back to life. Within two years, the company placed first in more than a dozen national pitch competitions, providing the validation and capital needed to move onward and upward.
Upon winning their National Grant Competition in 2018, Locker Lifestyle was named one of the top 10 small businesses in the country by FedEx. In 2019, our founder graduated from college and garnered the ability to scale the company full-time.
Since then, Locker Lifestyle has secured an official Women-Owned Business Certification (WBE), launched in over 35 retailers nationally, and our products were named the top gear to have for 2020 by Runner’s World Magazine. We are more determined than ever to keep the accolades and momentum going!
