The Career Closet provides future OISE grads with upcycled professional clothing as they enter the job market

Members of the OISE community look for a great fashion find in the CTL Career Closet. Photo by Michelle Bojcun/OISE.

The Career Closet provides Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) students with upcycled professional clothing for practicums or a future job opportunity while offsetting fast fashion's impact on the planet. 

Located inside OISE beside the Nexus Lounge, the Career Closet was developed by Alex Merrick and Mairi McKenna Edwards, two staff members in the department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning (CTL). During the fall of 2023, both were working together in student engagement, with Merrick also working within the Registrar's Office & Student Experience (ROSE) supporting career fairs and professional development days for the Master of Teaching (MT) and Master of Arts in Child Study and Education (MA-CSE) programs.

Sharing a passion for thrifting and clothing shares, The Career Closet stemmed from a conversation they had centred on supporting students and providing them with the opportunity to look and feel their best as they prepared to step into the teaching profession. This sentiment was echoed in discussions with the MT Leadership team. 

“We were talking about observing that a number of students weren’t able to afford warm enough winter clothes,” says Edwards, CTL’s coordinator, Diversity, Equity & Student Experience. “We were concerned with (the huge level of demand) that is being asked of them in the Master of Teaching Program.”

The first Career Closet opened in the spring of 2024, launching during the department's career fair. It was originally launched as a partnership between ROSE, CTL and OISE's Sustainability & Climate Action Network (SCAN) to support teacher candidates from the MT and MA-CSE programs.

“We put the call out and we’re inundated with donations from faculty, from staff members, from outside the university and collected everything,” says Merrick, CTL’s Partnership, Practicum and Experiential Learning Coordinator.

“A lot of the folks who have donated clothes have actually said how excited they are to give it to someone at the beginning of this new portion of their career. They are doing it really intentionally and they want to support other students, other teachers, other educators and they are doing it with that explicit intent,” added Edwards.

They set up a temporary walk-in clothing share on the fifth floor initially, with staff moving the clothing racks back and forth, to show that there was a good demand.

“We had over 100 students come and visit our very first pilot,” notes Edwards. 

Both were amazed by the positive impact the clothing share had on OISE students. 

“One of the things I say to the students is as they go into this new endeavour, remember that these clothes were given with care from your community, giving you a little bit more strength,” says Edwards. 

It was more than just about the clothing, says Edwards. It was about a bigger purpose. “It’s about how we intentionally create and craft and build our professional selves when we’re in the midst of that transition into a new identity, a new chapter of our lives, (how emotional that building of yourself is),” says Edwards. 

They had supports to make it a comfortable experience for all. “We invited (the Sexual Gender Diversity Office) to help with dressing, (building) out some infographics for dressing nonbinary bodies,” says Merrick.

A professional thrifter and reseller came by as well, instructing attendants on how to look for good quality fabrics and how to alter their own clothes. 

From clothing pop-up to permanent space 

Once Merrick joined CTL full-time, the initiative continued to build yearly. Bessie Giannikos, CTL’s Manager, Finance & Administration, helped secure the 12th floor space it now occupies  – with the help of OISE’s facilities team. 

Additionally, clothing donations expanded to the broader community – law firms reached out to inquire about their web page and school principals visited and passed on the presence of the Closet to others. Work-study student roles emerged to help organize and sort clothes.

The Master of Teaching Student Association ensured there was never a shortage of donations and awareness around the initiative.

“I think it’s important to support the students’ holistic experience in the program, putting forth that professional teacher identity,” said Merrick. “A professional (program’s) demands are no joke, we wanted to make sure there weren’t barriers to them feeling good going out into the field.”

Closet sessions became timed with Master of Teaching practicums, when there are conferences or job fairs. Sessions now span between two to three days at a time in a selected month. Merrick says they open for the first time in the school year in October, in advance of the fall practicum, then in early December before the three-day Professional Preparation Conference, a summit organized by ROSE, again in late January/early February in anticipation of the MT Research Conference and the Winter practicum and for a final time for the Spring Career Fair hosted by the ROSE office. 

While catered to MT and MA-CSE practicums, they never turn anyone away. “Anyone from U of T, any three of the campuses, you can come back as many times as you’d like, but we do put a limit on the number of items you can take per visit to keep things fair (for all),” notes Merrick.

Last fall, the team started partnering with the Sustainability Climate Action Network (SCAN) where they were able to staff additional student volunteers to help sustain the space. 

Now in its third year and garnering more attention than ever, the Career Closet welcomes all students to stop by – without any pressure or expectation.  Whether for a friendly conversation, fashion advice, a place to connect with others, or a discussion about mental health and well-being, the space is designed to foster community and support.

“I hope that the Career Closet boutique can just be a spot, a gathering point for community fun, can be a transition into what comes after your time here at OISE. I hope it can just be another way that you feel supported and in relationship and community with OISE,” says Edwards.

“We’re so appreciative to have a permanent space and we hope we get to stay here on the 12^th floor.”

The Career Closet offers style and sustainability

Camille Beaulé, a second year MT student, volunteered as a work-study student to facilitate the Career Closet.  

Her responsibilities consist of largely facilitating the room, maintaining cleanliness and sifting through donations, sorting the types of clothes and sizes and hanging them on racks.

Beaulé finds satisfaction in helping people choose clothing especially if they’re unsure or help them find a piece of clothing that they love and fits them well.

“It’s a really nice sustainability initiative because it removes clothes from landfills and going to waste,” says Beaulé, who joined with help of the SCAN network. “It helps students learn how to shop second-hand instead of buying new from the store. That part of it made me really interested in helping out.”

“I hope that they feel inspired to think outside of the box and see that there is a lot of sustainable behaviours that they can engage with and (habits they can develop). Maybe bringing the Career Closet to their own schools could be transitioned into a (winter clothes drive) at a high school.”

Ari, a University of Toronto graduate student who did not want her last name used for privacy reasons, became inspired to visit after receiving a student wellbeing newsletter. “I really like thrifting, when I read that it’s a student-oriented initiative I thought that was pretty cool and I should check it out. I made my way here specifically for the closet,” says Ari, who also brought items for donation. 

She thinks the Career Closet is very well organized and that the experience here is valuable. “It is important to have this (local initiative), to swap clothes, to bring something that is still in great condition but you don’t wear anymore. Someone might like that and pick something up that you like.”

She adds that staff are welcoming and friendly, often offering encouraging feedback and compliments to students as they try on clothing. “Graduate students have to often work like myself, combining that part-time or full-time with studies, it’s not always easy out there so it’s nice to have that opportunity.”

“If you do like thrifting, I encourage you to come and check it out ... I hope it continues.” 

Learn more about the Career Closet and how to donate here 

Originally published by OISE