The Wardrobe

The Wardrobe aims to provide free professional attire to all members of the Cornell community. We believe the inability to acquire professional clothing should not be a barrier to an individual’s pursuit of professional opportunities. For students who have a need for professional attire in order to succeed in club recruitment processes, job interviews, and/or social events, The Wardrobe desires to level the playing field — we seek to embody our mission: “Any student, any opportunity.”

The Problem

In 2017, The Wardrobe surveyed 96 Cornell students, and the results were astonishing:

• 64% have felt underdressed at an interview or information session
• 34% didn't attend an interview or information session because of a lack of professional clothing
• 50% of those without proper attire were limited by cost constraints
• 50% of those without proper attire were limited by time and place

The lack of professional clothing does not discriminate across gender and graduation year. These results have been verified to be statistically significant by Cornell University Statistician and Professor Cindy Van Es.

The Solution

We offer a free professional clothing rental service for students at Cornell. The rental service allows students to rent a diverse array of professional clothing, including but not limited to dress shirts, suit sets, blazers, blouses, ties, and dress shoes, in all sizes. We also host semesterly pop-up shop events, in which we distribute old inventory to the entire student body for free. With this two-fold approach, we serve all students at Cornell who are in need of professional clothing.

Our Challenges

The Wardrobe relies entirely on donations and sponsorships from partners to:

• Buy new inventory (e.g., various sizes, attires, styles)
• Clean existing inventory (e.g., dry cleaning, ironing)
• Cover administrative costs (e.g., rented spaces, outreach events)

With your support, The Wardrobe can provide free professional attire to any student in need.