If there is one thing on which Wesleyan students can deliver, it’s a bold fashion statement. Strolling around campus on any given day, one is bound to encounter an abundance of flowy, floral skirts, brightly colored sweater vests, polka-dotted pants paired with plaid jackets, and everything in between. Now, thanks to a student-run initiative, students can thrift outfits from their peers and donate to the Middletown community.

Last summer, when looking for a way to give back to Middletown, Ella Fleming ’23, Liam Murray ’23, Josh Kleiman ’24, and Laila Kewalramani ’24 founded WestCo Closet, a virtual thrift store run via Instagram. The four are current or former WestCo presidents, and the project is based out of the dorm. Their Instagram account allows Wesleyan students to shop virtually for trendy clothes donated by WestCo students. All proceeds from the sales benefit the Middletown Mutual Aid Collective (MMAC), a group founded in 2020 that joins Wesleyan student organizations with Middletown-based groups working to address the needs of the local community, especially through direct cash assistance.  

“We read a lot of theory over the summer about transformative justice and autonomous, anarchist states, and building communities,” Fleming said, reflecting on past discussions about reorganizing the structure of WestCo to be more inclusive and collectivist.  “A lot of that reading pointed us to direct action and mutual aid.” 

While the pandemic has undoubtedly impacted the ways in which Wesleyan students connect with Middletown communities, rendering most face-to-face work impossible, Fleming and others felt an urgent need to create a more socially active community in WestCo. Social justice is embedded into the mission of WestCo, yet many of its residents have felt that the community has fallen short in delivering on this promise to be activists for social change. The Instagram account enables students to help the Middletown population through the ease of their cell phones while participating in an activity that they love.

The store is entirely student-run. WestCo residents can drop off their clothes in the large donation box in the WestCo lounge. The clothes are then sorted, washed, and photographed before being posted on the Instagram account with their size and price. From there, students can browse the posts and direct message the account when they see something that catches their eye. After they venmo the appropriate amount to @westcocloset, the article of clothing is then delivered to the individual student.

Clothes range from vintage sweaters to floral satin dresses. The items usually sell for $5-10. Since the store’s launch in March, the account has raised over $500 for MMAC.

“The best way to actually do something useful is to work within your community,” Murray said. 

While the students involved in running the account are proud of the success they have had so far, both Fleming and Murray recognize that this is just the beginning in creating a school community that is more in touch with the surrounding population.

Instagram and other social media platforms have become increasingly popular avenues for young people to advocate for social change. Millions of users can connect and communicate across the globe instantaneously. However, many have voiced concern that social media activism can foster a kind of passivity that comes with the flood of infographics and endless content.

“There’s a tendency to repost something [on social media] concerning social justice and be satisfied with that as activism,” Kleiman said.

Fleming also discussed these concerns, saying that despite the positive impact of the account, this kind of activism through social media might be perceived as performative. She is still trying to determine how this conversation applies to WestCo Closet.

“I worry about it being received as performative because it is sort of disconnected from the Middletown community,” Fleming said. “[But] at the end of the day it’s raising money for people in our community and that’s not what we were doing before.” 

Kleiman offered another perspective on WestCo Closet’s place in the world of social media activism.

“I think hopefully WestCo Closet exists outside of that because we are taking action outside of the realm of social media,” Kleiman added. “We are raising money and it’s going toward a good cause.”

Working within the constraints of COVID-19 and the ever-growing presence of social media, WestCo Closet aims to inspire other students to find ways to give back. 

“I hope it’s just a stepping stone for more projects. Perhaps ones that are more directly involved in the community in the human, face-to-face way,” Fleming said.

 

Olivia Sharenow can be reached at osharenow@wesleyan.edu.