Donate • Learn • Recycle
What is Fashion Forward?
The Fashion Forward ASU clothing drive will be open from January 5th to February 27th, 2026. During the month of March, our team of volunteers will sort through the items and get ready for the open closet event that runs from April 9th through April 10th. The open closet offers ASU students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to access free recycled clothing or unused donated items. Beyond simply providing clothing, this event serves as an educational platform, offering insights into sustainable fashion practices, imparting skills for repurposing items to create sustainable attire, and more through other ASU clubs and departments tabling with sustainable lifestyle educational resources and activities. Did we mention, we will also have a fashion show!
Fashion Forward is way more than just the Open Closet in April; it is a campus-wide initiative to educate and inform our community about sustainable lifestyle options while coming together as a community to donate and support each other through a large donation drive. Our goals are to provide not just materials but education to impact long-term behavior and to impact our ASU community towards sustainable lifestyle changes.
The event has been a recipient of the Sustainability Initiatives Revolving Fund Grant for the past four years, which has provided essential funding beyond what the Staff Council and the International Students and Scholars Center provide.
Donation & Sign-ups
- Sign up to host a Donation Box
Box donation sign-up starts in November 2025 and runs through January 2026 - Sign up to be a Volunteer
There are more options than just during our open closet event! Please see our Do's and Don'ts list of what we are accepting as donations and what we can not accept, as well as our donation locations
- Sign up to host an educational or interactive table on April 9th to help increase our sustainable education at the event!
Please note, our donation locations will not be updated until January, and will continue to have additions until the end of January
Quick Timeline
- Nov 2025 – Jan 2026 - Donation box sign-ups
- Jan 5 – Feb 27 2026 - Donation collection across 5 ASU campuses
- March 2026 - Sorting & volunteer prep
- Apr 9 (Thu) • 11 AM – 4 PM - Open Closet Day 1
- Educational workshops and fashion show
- Apr 10 (Fri) • 11 AM – 3 PM - Open Closet Day 2
- Everything must go
Event Details
Maroon Gym, SDFC Tempe
Thu Apr 9 • 11 AM – 4 PM
Fri Apr 10 • 11 AM – 3 PM
How to participate
- Drop donations at any of our campus locations
- Volunteer (sorting, restocking, day-of roles)
- Host a sorting party
- Help transport donations to the Tempe campus
- Attend workshops & fashion show
Host a donation box
Collaborators
International Students & Scholars Center · Staff Council · Zero Waste · Eco‑Reps · W. P. Carey Career Services · Engineering Inventory · and more
Education content & workshops
Expect volunteer lunch-and-learns, tabling from ASU groups, interactive workshops on upcycling and repair, and sustainability facts (e.g., fashion-related water impacts) shared across our channels.
If your club or department would like to host a table or workshop, please sign up via the Volunteer Form.
Progress & History
Fashion Forward has grown every year, from under 10 drop-off sites in 2022 to 60 in 2024, and increasing donations year-over-year.
| Year | Donation locations | Pounds donated | Attendees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | <10 | 358.94 | 129 |
| 2023 | 28 | 2,053 | 401 |
| 2024 | 60 | 5,060 | 557 |
| 2025 | 48 | 3,154 | 752 |
Our 2026 Goals
60
Donation locations
3 permanent sites
Launching January 2026
6,000 lbs
Clothing & items donated
100+
Volunteers
1,000
Attendees
Education & Impact
The Open Closet is a chance to learn: interactive workshops, sustainability tabling, and training for volunteers. The Fashion Forward Program directly aligns with many of ASU's Sustainability Goals. Below are the goals this event addresses and is committed to leading by example, as well as providing educational opportunities for our community to learn from.
By repurposing and diverting goods (clothes and accessories) from landfill disposal to extend the use of the resources to their full potential
By reducing waste to landfill and demand for creating new items, especially fast fashion items. Through the education provided at the event, our goal is to not only influence the day of action but also impact long-term fashion behavior and increase conscious fashion consumption habits.
- By leveraging the Staff Council and their Sustainability programs, which span membership across ASU departments through the planning and organizing team, as well as volunteers ranging from picking up items, organizing, and day of the event volunteering. All of this results in a collaborative event with students and staff volunteers and displays. Therefore, not only does the event bring together students with staff and faculty through donations, but also in the day-of-the-event activities. This is already seen through the outreach from two organizations at ASU that are attempting to make Fashion Forward a year-round program. This fact alone shows the impact of this event being hosted over the past 4 years. Our team has seen an increase in supporting this initiative actress ASU, which shows the connections to community action as well as an increase of personal action.
- By attempting to advertise and reach as many students, staff, and faculty as possible while creating a safe space accessible for all ASU communities who have an interest in benefiting from this opportunity, and inviting those who are just curious and open to learning.
By engaging ASU faculty, staff, and students to take action through donations and up-cycling unwanted professional clothing-related items, thereby supporting a healthy lifestyle at home. In addition, this event supports the ASU community on campus by providing access to free professional clothing items that are obtained through sustainable “purchasing”.
Although this event consists of a monthly donation period and a two-day open closet event, it is the 4th year, and we hope to make this a long-lasting, impactful event that not only changes behavior but also helps our community thrive through the impacts of climate change.
We want to help build a stronger community together that comes together to support each other, learn from each other, and share with each other.
During the Fashion Forward open closet event and media leading up to the event, we will share facts on the benefits of second-hand fashion, with a large focus on water. For example, approximately 20% of global wastewater is generated by the fashion industry. We are working with University Sustainability Practices and Zero Waste on collecting facts and creating impactful media to share this information. Organizations, like the Global Peer Mentor group, will be helping to share this with a large audience of students, while the Staff Council will be sharing this through their broad outreach platforms like Slack.
Fashion Forward Marketing Toolkit
Inside, you’ll find the timeline, resources, and flyers to share within your ASU community. Help us spread the word with the resources below:
Purpose
Fashion Forward is designed to promote sustainability, reduce waste, and provide accessible clothing options for students. By facilitating a clothing drive and open closet, this event aims to:
- Encourage sustainable fashion choices and reduce textile waste
- Provides free clothing through a sharing community
- Raises awareness of eco-friendly lifestyle choices
- Strengthens engagement with sustainability initiatives at ASU
Through Fashion Forward, ASU students can make a positive impact on the environment while enjoying a fresh wardrobe update, one pre-loved piece at a time.
Marketing Timeline
- Nov. 17, 2025 – Jan. 30, 2026: Marketing for ASU partners and departments to host a donation box. See the Do's and Don'ts list and donation locations. Sign up to be a Volunteer
- Dec. 1 – Dec. 22, 2025: Open Donation Collections at designated residence halls. (Location updates coming soon.)
- Dec. 1 – Dec. 22, 2025: Collections at ISSC for graduating students. Hours begin at 8:30 AM.
- Jan. 5 – Feb. 27, 2026: Open Donation Collections on all ASU campuses. Sign up to be a Volunteer
- March: Sorting Parties. Sign up to be a Volunteer
- April 9 (11 AM–4 PM) & April 10 (11 AM–3 PM): Open Closet for all ASU community members at the Tempe campus. Sign up to host an educational or interactive table
Marketing for ASU Partners & Departments
Poster: “Clothing-Drive-host a donation box”
More social media images and videos coming in March.
Marketing Message:
The Staff Council Sustainability Program is pleased to announce the 5th Annual Clothing Drive and Clothing Closet! To make this even possible, we are looking for the ASU community to host a “donation box” to collect donation items for the Fashion Forward Open Closet event. Donation boxes can be for the larger ASU community to donate to or just for your department or office; you get to decide. More info on the event, our impact, and the “WHY”, please visit our website.
Marketing for Donation Collections
Poster: “Clothing-Drive-flyer-main”
Marketing Message:
The Staff Council Sustainability Program is pleased to announce the 5th Annual Clothing Drive and Clothing Closet! The open closet offers ASU students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to access free recycled clothing or unused donated items. For two days, we will have secondhand clothing for all to take away. The closet will stay open while supplies last. Take-away quantities will be limited based on volume received. Bring your own reusable bag for your takeaways. More info: Event details
What to Expect
- Free Clothing for All: Explore our selection of second-hand clothing while supplies last.
- Sustainable Fashion: Reduce textile waste and give clothing new life.
- Bring Your Own Bag: Support a zero-waste approach.
- Limited Quantities: Dependent on donations, arrive early!