Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26, wreaking havoc throughout the East Coast. The storm’s largest impacts were across the southern Appalachians, an unexpected area. One month later, the state of North Carolina, along with other surrounding areas, are still tallying the death toll and cleaning up the remains of what the region used to be.
Selah Price was born and raised in Asheville, N.C. and is now a senior at Louisiana State University. It was the Wednesday before the storm hit when her mom called to tell her the flooding already started. Her initial thought was that it floods all the time in Louisiana, how bad could it be?
After the storm made landfall, she lost all contact with her grandparents for two days. Her grandmother’s brother went missing for another 24 hours. She watched the area that raised her get washed away, as well as the roads and bridges she would take into town.
Not only is Price a student, she’s also a business owner. In efforts to rally attention and support for those affected by Helene, she dedicated a week and a half to sending all of the proceeds made from her boutique London Fossette to those who needed it most. The money went through 828 Strong, which is incorporated through her church back home. Proceeds went towards food, water, medical care, etc.
“I hope to bring more awareness to the severity of the damage and how far from over relief efforts are,” Price said. “This town is no longer going to be the same.”
Western North Carolina faced so much destruction, because unlike the coast, where hurricanes are more common, there was nowhere for the water to go. Very few were prepared for this kind of situation. It has been one month since the storm and water is still not up and running. Price said all residents are required to boil it, even now. According to WXII12, the estimated death toll as of Oct. 26 is at 96, four still remaining unidentified. The numbers change by the week.
“I would say like two or three years before we see what it used to be, or even a fraction of what it used to be,” Price said.
Price entered LSU as a biology major with the hopes of one day becoming a dentist. She was modeling full-time and fully immersed in the fashion world, so she decided to change her major to fashion merchandising in her sophomore year. In December 2022, she purchased her LLC and officially opened her boutique in March 2023. Everything was online, and in June of that year, she opened two pop-up locations.
“I originally named my business after my hometown area code with a ‘Sex and the City’ vibe,” Price said. “It was very girly and very pink.”
In June 2024, Price rebranded her business and renamed it London Fossette, which she originally wanted to be the name of her own magazine. Inspiration drew from popular teen magazines like Seventeen and Marie Claire. After some time and reflection, she wanted her business to be more unique and personal, which led to her rebrand. She is not only the owner but the accountant, buyer and social media manager.
London Fossette caters to women ages 14 to 28. A majority of her customers are college aged women, either looking for the perfect game day outfit or something neutral to wear on an everyday occasion. The sizes range from extra small to extra large. She tries to bring in new items every season and is slowly working on straying away from just gameday collections.
“As much as we love our colors, not everyone wants to wear purple and gold everyday,” Price said. “I’m really excited to see what the future holds when it comes to selling online.”
The boutique released its “Hello from the 307” collection on Oct. 22, a western inspired series with a wide range of sweaters, jackets and jeans. Price made the trip to Jackson Hole, Wyo. to curate a gallery of pictures for her newest items. Being her own creative director gives her the freedom to come up with items like this and ever since her rebranding, she has thoroughly enjoyed putting together cute and comfortable collections. Her biggest goal was to make this newest release as affordable as possible.
“College student to college student,” Price said. “I completely understand that it can be hard to treat yourself to a new clothing item or two.”
Price isn’t sure what will come next, but she’s hoping to bring the customers something holiday inspired just in time for the season. In the meantime, she hopes her efforts inspire and influence others to send help where help is needed by doing what they can to help the victims of Hurricane Helene. For more information on donating through 828 Strong, check out the link here and check out London Fossette here.
“I have many dreams and many of them are coming true early on,” Price said.
