Spring cleaning is a time when people can collect their unwanted items to throw them out, sell them or donate them. The DGS fashion merchandising students plan to collect the community’s unwanted clothing items and allow students to choose what they would like. The CARE closet is in progress; it’s a place where all students will have access to different types of clothing.
The donated clothing to DGS used to sit in a third-floor closet, but the equity team, a group of teachers who ensure students feel like they belong at DGS, wanted to revamp the space into a more welcoming environment. Enlisting the help of fashion merchandising students and their teacher, Jennifer Jordan, they’ve created many models and pitches for what they imagine the space to look like.
“Our mission is that all students in the building, regardless of who they are, can come to the CARE closet, get what they need and feel supported. [We want the closest to] feel like you’re at a store and like you would actually get things that you would want to wear, and that are cool and on trend and are fun for students,” Jordan said.
Jordan emphasizes students’ comfort in the clothes they wear to help them feel confident and encouraged to take on the day. Similar to Jordan, freshman Camila Rostro-Duran focused on making her mock-up design accessible and wanted to follow a clear, simple aesthetic.
“[My design] was [focused on] the overall feel of when you enter, because I’m a very picky person for stores. I get so overwhelmed [and some] things were really important to me, for example, shelves. I hate shelves because I feel like I always have to fold them [again]. And then if I just throw them, it’s bad etiquette,” Rostro-Duran said.
Rostro-Duran’s vision to make the CARE closet feel like a store is a small element that contributes to eliminating the stigma surrounding receiving aid or clothes for free. The CARE closet being available to all students, not just those who are low-income, also helps reduce the shame that some students may feel when getting help.
“When I went in, I felt really grateful to see all those clothes there because there are many times in my school year where I was like, ‘okay, I really need this specific piece of clothing, I don’t have anything like this,’ and I don’t have the time or the money to go out and buy it. It feels inclusive to say at least my school has [the care closet] to be able to look through quickly without having to pay,” Rostro-Duran said.
The prototype idea that allowed any student to walk into the CARE closet was imagined by Jordan when she listened to an NPR podcast that talked about another high school having a similar place where students could get clothes.
“In my mind, it would be a model where any student can come. It doesn’t matter your socioeconomic status. I would just want all students to have the ability to access it, and that’s how the school modeled theirs so that all students feel like they can connect to it regardless of anything,” Jordan said.
The fashion merchandising students revised their blueprints and models for months, attempting to create a space that their peers wouldn’t be afraid to walk into.
“Most of us had the general idea of having something calm, simple and easy to manage for all students. I think we all really did take our time with the project. Most of us really did try our best to have everything in place,” Rostro-Duran said.
The creation of the CARE closet is set to start during the summer of 2026.
