Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world. Each year, the UK alone sends around 300,000 tonnes of clothing to landfill. At the same time, many students preparing for placements, interviews or graduate roles don’t have the means to buy work-appropriate clothing. That gap, while often invisible, can severely limit confidence and access to professional spaces.
Universities are facing growing pressure to support students through financial hardship while also making real progress on net-zero commitments. A surprisingly effective way to address both of these challenges is through something as simple as a professional student wardrobe.
In the past year, our Professional Student Wardrobe has not only transformed student confidence and access to opportunity, but it has also made a major impact on sustainability efforts. The wardrobe, which provides free, high-quality, work-appropriate clothing to students preparing for interviews, placements and graduate roles, has quietly become one of the most effective and environmentally responsible initiatives on campus.
In its first 12 months, the wardrobe has:
- Diverted over 3,023kg of clothing from landfill
- Saved 11,711.52kg of CO₂ emissions
- Distributed 2,850 items of clothing to students
- Supported more than 1,587 students, saving them approximately £34,000 collectively.
These achievements reflect how a practical, student-centred solution can address two major challenges at once: the financial barriers students face and the urgent need to reduce waste in the fashion industry.
The wardrobe operates entirely on donated clothing from staff, local employers, alumni and partners, with surplus stock passed on to our charity partner White Rose for resale or recycling.
This ensures a circular approach with zero waste while allowing students to access high-quality, work-ready clothing at no cost. For many, it’s the first time they’ve felt they can walk into a professional setting and truly belong.
The wardrobe isn’t just a sustainability project; it’s also redefining employability support. Every student who uses the wardrobe benefits from career coaching, interview preparation and skills development. The physical space acts as a welcoming point of access to broader services, where students can build the confidence and capability to progress.
- Spotlight guide: A greener future for higher education
- Spotlight guide: Helping students through the cost-of-living crisis
- Building a sustainable future on campus
How to set up a student wardrobe
Adopt a student-led approach: letting students run the wardrobe can help build real-world skills while shaping a service that reflects their own needs and values. Our Employability Assistants run day-to-day operations, while our placement student has taken on a leadership role, coordinating donations, communications and events. Since the inception of the project idea, we’ve employed over 100 students who have not only gained valuable experience but also created a real sense of community and belonging.
Find partners to donate surplus clothes to: we collaborate with White Rose, a sustainable fashion charity founded by NTU alumna Grace Walker. While alumni, employers and local partners contribute through donations, the majority of clothing deemed unsuitable for professional settings is passed directly to White Rose branches for resale, helping to fund global peace education work. Students really value this visible connection between sustainability, social justice, community contribution and their own development.
Showcase your achievements: celebrate the work of your students by hosting events to highlight their work. We organised a fashion show event in April to celebrate the wardrobe’s first anniversary. Live music, a student-run catwalk show, and creative visuals showcased the power of sustainable fashion to drive confidence and self-expression. Employers and community partners attended not only to celebrate but to understand how they can contribute through donations, partnerships or volunteering their expertise.
The wardrobe has quickly become a catalyst for wider collaboration. Our Brackenhurst campus has hosted wardrobe pop-ups tailored to students in environmental sciences, agriculture and animal care, including access to free, industry-specific PPE donated through a local supplier. These initiatives reflect the strength of our local networks and the appetite from partners to support meaningful, sustainable action.
A professional student wardrobe is a powerful example of a high-impact, low-cost initiative. Our initial investment has already paid for itself through the value delivered to students. With donations powering the service and student workers as our main operational cost, the project is both financially and environmentally sustainable.
More importantly, it’s delivering practical, real-world results, saving students money, boosting their confidence, and reducing the environmental impact of fashion waste.
As institutions across the UK explore how to better support students amid rising financial pressures and net-zero commitments, our Professional Student Wardrobe offers a model that addresses both challenges simultaneously.
It shows what’s possible when sustainability, employability and student voice come together in a coherent, practical initiative.
The lessons from this project are simple but powerful. Make sustainability visible. Meet students where they are. And never underestimate the confidence that comes from feeling like you belong.
Debra Easter is the director of employability services at Nottingham Trent University and the community director for AGCAS.
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