The UMass Professional Wardrobe Closet offers new and gently used professional clothing to students—free of charge.

First launched through the Isenberg School of Management Office of Access, Collaboration, and Engagement for Success (ACES), the closet aims to help students feel prepared and confident for internships, presentations, job interviews, and even graduation.

“Clothing insecurity is a huge issue for many colleges and universities across the nation,” says Jesenia Minier-Jennings, assistant dean for ACES, who launched the project. “By bringing this resource to our community, we give our students a chance to go to interviews as their best, authentic self.”

The project began in May 2024 as a three-week initiative known as the Isenberg Professional Wardrobe Closet.

Minier-Jennings put out a call to faculty and staff asking for donations, and the response was immediate. Soon, the closet was brimming with suits, blazers, ties, blouses, and shoes that students could take at no cost to them. More than 50 students visited the closet during its initial run.

“It became so popular that at the start of the 2024-25 academic year, we made the closet permanent,” says Minier-Jennings.

Community support has helped expand the project’s reach. 

Last year, through a corporate sponsorship from TJ Maxx, Isenberg provided gift cards for students who couldn’t find what they needed in the closet. A private donor recently committed $25,000 per year for five years to further sustain Isenberg students’ professional clothing needs.

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“To have that donor come through with such a generous gift was really helpful,” Minier-Jennings says. “It’s a wonderful resource for our community.”

The wardrobe closet supported nearly 200 students in its first year. Many visitors were first-generation or international students navigating professional attire for the first time.

“I visited the Isenberg Wardrobe Closet right before my summer internship started, which helped me get fully prepared for my first career experience in the U.S.,” says Ahmed Aleid ’24 MBA.

With the closet’s success, students from outside of Isenberg began asking if they could use the resource, too. Minier-Jennings was determined to find a way to expand.

At the same time, Associate Provost for Career and Professional Development Cheryl L. Brooks was exploring ways to address clothing insecurity among students. Investing in a professional wardrobe can be a real barrier for some, Brooks explains, especially when nearly 25 percent of UMass Amherst students are Pell Grant recipients.

“Networking nights, career fairs, or interviews are already anxiety inducing,” she says. “We want students to walk into any career event feeling confident and able to focus on the conversation, not worrying about whether they look like they belong.”

In fall 2025, the Office of Career and Professional Development collaborated with Isenberg to officially launch the UMass Professional Wardrobe Closet, which now serves students from across the university.

“We’re so excited to partner with Isenberg on this project,” says Brooks. “Developing a wardrobe closet for students is something Career Services had been talking about for quite a while, so finding out that Jesenia was leading this initiative was perfect timing.”

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The UMass Professional Wardrobe Closet is located in room 451 of Goodell Hall, the newly renovated student-centered hub that houses cultural centers, student success programs, and career services.

To use the closet, students can preview items online, then visit in person to try on clothes, get advice, and make sure their selections meet their professional needs.

“What job recruiters really want is for students to show up as their best self,” Brooks says. “It’s so valuable for our students to feel confident going into interviews so they can focus on the important thing: the content of their conversation.”

Supervision, promotion, and daily operations of the closet are led by Renita Washington, ACES Undergraduate Program Coordinator, and Raphaela Moreno, ACES Graduate Program Coordinator.

Their work connects the closet’s mission to students’ real-world experiences.

“After helping a student choose an outfit for a networking opportunity, he completed our checkout form and said of his experience: ‘It was great. You’re a legend!’,” says Washington. “It was nice to feel appreciated and to see his excitement.”

Moreno agrees, noting that the initiative has evolved far beyond its original scope.

“It has been interesting to take this from a past pop-up initiative into the more wrap-around student service that it has become. To truly support student success, it is crucial to meet material needs, and expanding to the full university adds a level of equity that we couldn’t previously provide.”

Raphaela Moreno, ACES Graduate Program Coordinator

Students also play a vital role in sustaining the closet. A group of student workers manage donations, update the website, welcome peers, and offer guidance on choosing the right clothes.

“We want this to be for students, to be run by students, and to help serve our students,” Minier-Jennings says.  

For Brooks, the impact of the closet is most clear when students feel supported.

“We’re successful when we support our students on their professional journey from the minute they get to UMass until the moment they get a job,” says Brooks. “You can’t feel confident during a job interview if you’re worrying about what you’re wearing. If we can help alleviate that concern for students, then I’m proud.”

Fuel student success by making a gift to the Isenberg School of Management and the UMass Professional Wardrobe Closet.