PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia social services organization works through the year to keep members of various professions well-dressed and ready to impress. The Wardrobe, formerly Career Wardrobe, is a resource for people for whom clothing insecurity is a barrier to employment and advancement.
The Wardrobe has two locations — in Philadelphia (413 N. 4th Street) and Lansdowne (62 W. Marshall Road) — whose goal is to help people who cannot afford clothes and people who don’t have an appropriate outfit for a particular occasion.
"Of course they need scrubs and things like that for their jobs, but they need jeans, they need T-shirts,” Program Director Al Sharrock said of The Wardrobe’s clients. “They gained or lost weight during the pandemic. They're coming out of incarceration, they need new clothes. And so we are here to meet all of those needs.”
Clothing is available free of charge for clients of more than 100 partner organizations, who send folks to The Wardrobe when they need new threads. The general public is welcome to buy clothes from the shops any time for the price on the tag.
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And The Wardrobe offers a special monthly free shopping day called Open Wardrobe. The program gives participants the opportunity to get free clothes without an appointment, focusing on a different disadvantaged community every month, and sometimes for use in specific events.
In April, Open Wardrobe was dedicated to Prom. In May, that one-day opportunity for access to clothing and community resources was reserved for the LGBTQ community. On May 26, both locations offered free clothes and a legal name-change clinic, and the Philadelphia shop included a professional networking event.
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"Got three outfits total, I believe. I don't really have any office wear, so that was really helpful,” said Liv, as she thumbed through racks of items at the quaint, swank Philadelphia location last week. “Now I'm hoping to get some pants."
The next Open Wardrobe will be on Thursday, June 23, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., open by appointment to anyone who has been incarcerated, featuring free clothing, record expungement clinics, and haircuts. Visitors must pre-register for all services offered that day.
Donations of clothes, shoes and accessories in good condition come from all over. And The Wardrobe is always in need of plus-size women’s clothes and men’s attire at both locations.
To make an appointment to shop or to donate, visit The Wardrobe online.
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