Brightside is teaming up with Local Laundry to debut an exciting new collaboration at PARKSHOW 2019. Founded in Calgary, Local Laundry has been committed to sustainable manufacturing and community building since 2015. Co-founder, Connor Curran was inspired to launch the brand while studying for his MBA in Sweden. He wanted something that would represent Calgary and its communities while traveling abroad, but the options were quite limited. Connor’s passion project turned into a full-blown clothing company when he met Dustin Paisly, and the duo has been focused on organic growth and collaboration ever since.

To learn more about Local Laundry’s partnership with Brightside and their impact on the city, we sat down with Connor for a quick chat!

Connor left his full-time job two years ago to focus on running Local Laundry. He can’t make it through the day without a cup of tea, music, and down-time with his wife, Erin.

What was the inspiration behind the name Local Laundry?

It was actually my wife who came up with the name. I was studying in Sweden at the time, and we lived together in the tiniest house. I’m talking so tiny that you could shut the kitchen light off from the bedroom. But long story short, we had this nightmare laundry machine in our bathroom that would move around whenever we used it, and we would have to sit on top of it to make it stop. Laundry was the bane of our existence, and clearly always on our minds. One night, I was trying to come up with a name for the brand — something that represented local communities. I was spitting out ideas when my poor wife, who was half asleep, muttered “call it Local Laundry”. So I did, and now she thinks she is the smartest business person ever.

What has been the most rewarding part about starting your own business?

The most rewarding part is hands-down the people we get to meet along the way. We don’t see ourselves as clothing designers or fashionistas. We’re community builders and clothing is just the vehicle we use to meet other cool people who are making a positive impact. We’ve been able to collaborate with amazing local artists, other business owners, and non-profits like Lionel Migrino, Kindred Thrift, and KidsUpFront.

How did you come up with the creative concept for your collaboration with Brightside?

A big part of our business is collaborating with other community members. We were really excited when Brightside approached us to create the apparel their team would be wearing while they promote the app out and about in Alberta. We focus on Canadian-made clothing and designs that tell a story. You aren’t going to a see a logo or sponsor name screen-printed onto a T-shirt. We’re creating something that people are going to want to engage with, that makes them feel part of the organization and not just a walking billboard for it.

This is Local Laundry’s first time showing PARKSHOW, what are you most excited about?

I’m just excited to just be a part of it, honestly. I’m really happy that Brightside reached out to us because we have wanted to show at PARKSHOW for so long, and this partnership has given us the opportunity to do so. PARKSHOW is Calgary’s fashion show — anyone who is anyone in our creative community knows how much of an impact this show has. We will be showcasing both the collaboration with Brightside and our latest spring collection, both of which are proudly made in Canada!