BU Closet was founded thanks to friends Tanvi Chennuru (CDS’25) (from left), head of events, Iffany Zhou (CAS’25), president, and Hannah Martin (CAS’25), vice president.

Student Clubs

BU Closet: Donate and Take Clothes for Free

BU club runs clothing swaps to help students save money, keep clothes out of landfills

Iffany Zou remembers feeling dismayed by the waste and overconsumption she saw during Move-in freshman year. Amazon packages arrived in the mailroom daily, and everyone bought one-time-use costumes for Halloween. She herself was guilty of packing up and bringing most of her wardrobe from home and wearing only a small percentage of it. When a professor in one of her Hub units on global citizenship challenged the class to pursue a passion project, she knew right away what she wanted to do.

Zou (CAS’25) had an idea: putting a big gray bin outside of her Kilachand Hall dorm room and encouraging her floormates to donate their old shirts, pants, and coats. The bin filled quickly—with items from name brands in mint condition to uniquely vintage goods—and she invited people to browse the items and “shop” for free. Zou soon recruited her roommates to help organize future swaps.

In fall 2024, after three years of hard work, BU Closet became an official club recognized by the Student Activities office. Run by an executive board of 11 students, the club organizes free and sustainable clothing drives and swaps that encourage one student’s trash to become another’s treasure. Zou says that their swaps draw anywhere from 100 to 500 students, who sift through the neatly organized tables in search of their next outfit. Some of Zou’s favorite finds have included a festive Celtics jacket, a Juicy Couture tracksuit, cashmere and wool sweaters, interview-appropriate suits, Nike gear, and Ann Taylor sweaters. 

And on Saturday, February 1, BU Closet is cohosting a clothing swap with BU Student Government as part of this semester’s Weeks of Welcome events. (Find more information at the bottom of this story.)

“I didn’t start thinking or learning that much about fast fashion until freshman year, which I would thank Iffany for,” says Hannah Martin (CAS’25), the club’s vice president. “I would donate my clothes, but I wouldn’t really think about [the impact of the waste], especially on a college campus.”

College students tend to flock to inexpensive, trendy brands like Primark and Shein. But this quickly made, cheap-quality apparel (aka “fast fashion”) has its pitfalls: on average, this kind of clothing is worn only 7 to 10 times before being tossed in the donation pile, and ultimately, 11.3 million articles of clothing end up in landfills every year in the United States alone. That’s a staggering 560 percent increase from the amount of clothes tossed in 1960— a definitively non-eco-friendly model. 

The problem is exacerbated in a college setting, where students often can’t fit all the clothing they’ve accumulated during the school year into a suitcase, so they donate their least favorite items to Goodwill. Martin says BU Closet’s clothing swaps ensure those items that get left behind don’t end up in a landfill somewhere. Martin, who identifies as a low-income student, says BU Closet affords her and the rest of the BU community the opportunity to constantly refresh their wardrobe for free.

To participate, students are encouraged to donate clothing in bins around campus (check the club’s Instagram page for locations) or bring the items the day of the swap. The club asks for donations of only items in good condition, and no undergarments, shoes, bedding, or accessories.

At the event, volunteers neatly organize and fold clothes on tables and racks. When they arrive, students are asked to scan a QR code and fill out info, like name, year, and email, and then they are let loose to shop. The suggested max is five items per person, but there is some leeway, Zou says. 

BU Closet head-of-events Tanvi Chennuru (CDS’25) says that being involved in the club has helped her realize that she “hoards” a lot of clothes. “At the end of the school year, you would see how much stuff is by the garbage bins—and it’s, like, good stuff,” she says. She encourages students to attend the swaps since they are “super accessible, and there’s literally no strings attached.” While Boston has popular vintage markets like the Fenway Flea and Found Market, they are still much pricier than the everyday college student can afford. Members say the club is passionate about staying free.

Zou is graduating this May and her hope is that BU Closet continues in future semesters. She’s feeling good about its chances, since younger members of its e-board have shown to be as passionate about sustainability as she is.

“I really hope the club can be a place where people can go when they are in need of free clothing,” Zou says. “And it can stay a resource and a community in the future.”