By Abby Rathburn | Staff Writer
With finals approaching — and the stress that often comes with them — Apparel Professionals offered students retail therapy Monday afternoon.
The student-run organization Apparel Professionals hosted a clothing swap on Fountain Mall on Monday, encouraging students to adopt a sustainable shopping approach. Apparel Professionals Vice President and Lexington senior Hayden Bexley said the event is an opportunity to reduce waste while shopping.
“In college, especially if you’re involved, there’s all these events that you’re constantly having to get this for, and that for, and that can just be a lot,” Bexley said. “Everyone’s been there and had these things that they wear once, and that aspect of it feels a little wasteful.”
Students were encouraged to bring clothes they no longer wear and exchange them for thrifted items they want. This thrifting exchange featured well-known brands such as Zara, Altar’d State and Forever 21.
“We kind of used to be told that donating was completely sustainable, but now … we know that’s not really the case anymore,” Bexley said. “A lot of times, they are completely just overrun at Goodwill and other clothing donation stores, so this is a better or improved approach at that.”
For those who did not bring items to exchange, the club allowed them to purchase items for $3 a piece. Although Apparel Professionals runs this event once a semester, the ability to purchase items is a new feature. Erica Reyes, a freshman attendee from San Antonio, said she was on her way to Memorial Dining Hall when she decided to stop by the event.
“I think that’s a really great thing because for the people that didn’t know about this event, all of the items are only $3, so you only had to pay a small amount to still partake in something that a club at Baylor University is promoting,” Reyes said.
Tessa Lahaise, a freshman attendee from Norwood, Mass., echoed the need for an event like this one on campus.
“I was just talking to my friends about this, saying how I wish there was an event like this, and here it is,” Lahaise said.
Besides encouraging students to engage in more sustainable shopping, Apparel Professionals members also hope to increase the awareness of their club through the event, according to Weatherford senior and club President Mariah Harris.
“We really wanted to get more traction with the club, and we saw a vision for it and kind of wanted to get it to be more inclusive, more fun,” Harris said.
Both Harris and Bexley said that while they know they will not be here for the club’s peak, they hope to train the next board to continue stewarding its members as they build community bonds over a shared love of fashion.
“We are one of the only fashion clubs on campus, and we really want people to have a space where they can be creative, find people with similar interests, express themselves and also build a good network professionally,” Harris said.
