A perfect fit: Campus Closet and the LCS Lab collaborate to launch a new satellite location
This fall, the Lundgren Consumer Science Lab and Campus Closet are giving Wildcats a new way to dress for success: a satellite location called Campus Closet @ LCS Lab. The boutique-style extension of Campus Closet will offer a curated selection of professional and business-casual attire, expanding access to career-ready clothing for U of A students.
“Each year, the LCS Lab looks for a new activation, and working with Campus Closet felt like a natural fit,” said Sheila Kressler-Crowley, director of the Lundgren Center for Retailing in the Norton School of Human Ecology. “The idea of hosting an additional location specifically for students who need interview or first-week-on-the-internship clothing really sparked for all of us.”
Supported by the Student Assistance Network in the Dean of Students Office, Campus Closet is a donation-based program committed to reducing clothing insecurity while promoting sustainable access to clothing that supports personal and professional success. Their main location offers a wide range of apparel to U of A students, faculty and staff, who can shop once per week at no cost.
Campus Closet @ LCS Lab will work hand-in hand with the main location, following the same procedures around Cat Card access, weekly point allowances and donation and inventory tracking. To increase access opportunities, the new location will have distinct operating hours during the main location’s off days.
“We’re excited that this partnership allows us to expand our reach,” said Evya Sivarajan, graduate assistant for Campus Closet. “Having an additional location will make Campus Closet more accessible to students who may not be able to visit our main location at our current hours.”
Beyond expanded access to professional clothing resources, the new location will serve as an interdisciplinary learning hub for students across the Norton School, Kressler-Crowley said.
“Student interns will be running this location end-to-end,” she explained. “They’re in charge of marketing, of finding more donations, of merchandising, of evaluating how things are working. It’s a constantly evolving learning experience.”
Planned initiatives include research exploring the relationship between professional appearance, confidence and career outcomes; a case study examining ways to reduce the stigma associated with accessing secondhand clothing resources; and a variety of styling, tailoring and career-preparation workshops and events.
Through partnerships with the University Center for Assessment, Teaching and Technology (UCATT) and Norton School student organizations, the new location will also offer a variety of career-focused resources, including professional headshots, video résumé recording, podcasting resources and additional tools designed to help students prepare for academic and professional opportunities.
“We’re still in the process of getting some of these pieces in place,” Kressler-Crowley said. “We really want to create activations around getting students ready for that interview, or that internship, from start to finish.”
Ultimately, the LCS Lab and Campus Closet hope to create a welcoming, accessible and empowering space that supports student success.
“This partnership allows us to explore new ways of engaging students around sustainability and reusing resources in a meaningful way,” Sivarajan said. “We can look at creative ways to give clothing a second life while helping students access items they need.”