Career Development Center holds professional clothing shop.
The Career Development Center (CDC) is helping students dress for success by providing them with free access to professional clothing at pop-up shops on campus.
Inspired by “career closets” on other university campuses, the pop-up shops are a joint venture between the CDC and the American Marketing Association (AMA).
The pop-up part is St. Joe’s own spin on the concept, said Danielle Fichter, coordinator of events and recruitment for the CDC.
“It was created out of a need that we saw for there to be professional clothing more readily available to students on campus,” Fichter said.
The shop pops up about two or three times a semester in different locations on campus, usually before the Career Fair or the Talk With Hawks networking event. Since its conception, the shop has provided about 80 students on campus with about 130 pieces of professional clothing. In addition to clothing, the students also received advice on what to wear for certain events.
Students who visit the shop are given the option to take three articles of clothing and can either borrow the clothes or keep them for further use.
Each piece of clothing is donated from faculty, staff or students and from employer partners of the CDC.
Angela Yu ’18, vice president of programming and fundraising for the AMA ,helped team up with the CDC to get the shop started. Her involvement is based, in part, on her own experience.
“When I was a freshman I didn’t have any professional clothes,” Yu said. “I came to school with a mini skirt, jeans, leggings, nothing that you could wear to a Career Fair.”
Not having the right clothes was a key reason why Yu did not attend the fair as a first-year student. Yu said her goal is to never hear a student say that again.
Caitlyn Landau ’20, marketing intern for the CDC said donated items are gently worn or brand name.
Landau said the pop up shop provides an easy way to get professional clothes on campus for those who may not have time or access to this type of clothing.
Yu sees this as especially beneficial for students who may not want or be able to commit to making an investment into these types of clothes.
“If you don’t have the means to go out and buy a $300 suit, that shouldn’t stop you from possible options in terms of networking with other people,” Yu said.
The purpose of the pop-up shop is to allow students to feel confident and concentrate on networking.
“That was the goal,” Yu said, “Focus on networking without having to worry about your clothes, whether you don’t have them or you’re not dressed appropriately or anything like that.”
As of now, there is not another pop-up shop scheduled for the remainder of the semester.
