Free clothes!? NKU’s Alpha Omicron Pi chapter throws clothes swap event

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Emory Davis

Some of the clothing that was up for trade Tuesday night.

Tuesday Aug. 30, as the day wound down, students browsed tables and hangers in the Student Union ballroom, furnished with secondhand clothing donated by the NKU community. The Victorfest sorority event was intended to embrace first-year students and welcome back returning students by offering free fashion.

The event was conceived by the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and was initially planned by the sisterhood alone, but positive feedback led the sorority to invite other chapters on campus, turning it into a mixed event, according to Abby Strawn, president of Alpha Omicron Pi. 

Every Greek life chapter had the opportunity to host an event for Victorfest, NKU’s Welcome Week celebration, according to Strawn. When planning Alpha Omicron Pi’s  event, Strawn said she wanted to host something engaging and unique. 

Not only did attendees have the chance to sift through and select donated secondhand clothes, but remaining items were donated to Care Closet, a nonprofit organization based in Newport, Kentucky. Care Closet has a space on campus that offers free clothes to NKU students, focusing on daily wear and professional attire for interview preparation.

“With this event, we really just want to help people,” said second-year Alpha Omicron Pi member Becca Stanley. “Especially with donating to the Care Closet, and we’re all college students. Sometimes you need the fresh sense of style and you can’t necessarily go out and buy it at the time.”

With young shoppers taking to secondhand fashion in recent times because of its environmental sustainability and affordability, the event was a trendy and fun way to bring people together. 

Andrea Saavedra, a first-year psychology major, attended the event and left with a bag stuffed with new finds. She also donated clothes that she no longer wore to the event.

“I had like a bunch of shirts that I don’t wear anymore, but I didn’t want to keep,” Saavedra said. “Even if I don’t wear them, other people can make use of them.”