Students looking for new additions to their outfit have taken advantage of a reinstated service on campus: the Vintage Closet. After a brief hiatus due to Covid, the school’s Vintage Closet was rebooted on September 8th and 9th. The closet, located in a space at the end of the Cullman Art Wing, provided second-hand clothing free for student reuse. FASH (Fashion and Style (at) Hotchkiss) spearheaded efforts to reinstate the closet.
The closet, maintained by and for the student body, was available both for students to donate and reuse clothing. When asked about the importance of the Vintage Closet, Mrs. Marcie Wistar, director of student activities, said, “There’s a lot of extra stuff that students have and don’t need, especially towards the end of the school year, that we want to recycle back into the community. If we can all get into the habit of donating and reusing, then we’re reducing waste and reducing the stigma for those who are in need to use a place like a free thrift shop on campus.”
Richard Lu ’24, head of FASH, describes how the Vintage Closet supports second-hand clothing at the school. He said, “It’s important to have a system where clothes that are no longer needed are able to be reused rather than thrown out. Also, it provides a space for students who might not have certain pieces of clothing, but need them, to have those needs fulfilled.” However, most of the contents harken back to days when students followed a more formal dress code. Many students remarked on the need for a wider variety of apparel. Amalia Sardinha ’25 said, “Maybe the closet can add Halloween costumes as well — I know a lot of students love to dress up for the holiday, but many are unable to because their costumes either don’t arrive in time or are too expensive.”
Mrs. Wistar and Lu plan to interact with student volunteers to expand the closet. Lu said, “We are putting out a box soon [for donations]. [Volunteers] will then go through the clothes and see if they are in good repair, and if they are, they will put them in the closet.” Ms. Wistar agreed with Lu, but emphasized the need to revamp the closet for the future before opening it back up to students. “I hope that we’ll get to collect bedding and coats and fashionable clothes, but right now what needs to happen is the closet needs to be culled. [The Closet] has a lot of things that students would not think are cool right now, like a lot more khakis than what students are wearing.”
FASH will continue to offer Vintage Closet openings throughout the year. The addition of the donation box, updated fashion, and better organization promises potential for future vintage closet openings.
