Between job interviews, a gala, and commencement, spring means a lot of events—and a lot of new outfits—for Gabelli School graduate students. To help them replenish their wardrobe while reducing clothing waste, Fordham’s Responsible Business Center created a biannual clothing exchange. The spring event will be held April 28 to 30, from 4 to 7 p.m., in Lowenstein’s Third-Floor Lounge.
The exchange was originally designed for Gabelli School grad students, but they aren’t the only beneficiaries: the swap gives the entire Fordham community an excuse to donate and take home gently used clothes. Clean clothing donations are accepted until April 24 in the Student Success Center (Suite 126, 140 W. 62nd St.). Anyone who donates clothes gets a voucher to “shop” up to five items from the swap on its first two days. The final day is open for anyone to take home free fashion finds.
The joy that the exchange brings is always fun to watch, said Kate Kennon, assistant dean of graduate advising at the Gabelli School. “People like clothes, and people like to get things for free. They also like the randomness of finding these little treasures.”
Engaging Students Around Fast Fashion
When the Responsible Business Center moved into the Student Success Center in 2023, Kennon was asked to create opportunities for student engagement between the two.
“The idea of a clothing exchange feeds into the Gabelli School’s sustainability ideals,” said Kennon. The event also tied into combating fast fashion waste, something students feel strongly about trying to change, she said. A clothing swap at another school gave Kennon a model to emulate, and she introduced a clothing exchange in April 2024 with help from her colleagues and students. The event was an instant hit.
“The students loved it,” said Kennon. “And I said, ‘We have to keep doing this, not just because it’s great for the climate, but for the students.’”
Kennon’s grad assistant, Milica Andric, and an undergrad, Ellie Kim, help Kennon organize the exchange and inventory the donated items. For the first time this year, they will also be cataloging the kinds of materials used in the donations, such as viscose, silk, or cotton. “The Responsible Business Center wants us to keep track of the fabrics, because certain fabrics have less of a carbon footprint than others,” she said. The goal is to better understand the impact of keeping these various textiles out of landfills.
From Donations to Permanent Collections
While the clothing exchange is open to everyone, Kennon saves special items for Gabelli School grad students, who can access them by request. Evening gowns for the spring Gabelli School Graduate Student Gala hang behind her door, part of the gala gown lending library that she established with dresses on loan from alumni and her professional network. Close by is an “emergency career closet” filled with interview-appropriate attire from past years’ donations, for students in need of a suitable outfit.
This year, Kennon is adding one more clothing library to the mix—a dozen commencement caps and gowns that Gabelli School graduate students donated after last year’s ceremony.
“I think that speaks to the eagerness that the students have to make a small difference, to have something practical they can do,” she said.
