How The Wardrobe has adapted to outfit more fresh starts for more Philadelphians

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

“Last night, it got really cold,” Rose King said, tracing the elaborate stitching on her jean jacket.

King shivered while she spoke, standing outside The Wardrobe in Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties neighborhood on an overcast, damp and windy morning.

She had just arrived in the city from Thailand, saying she was now homeless after a falling-out with an older, wealthy companion. She said she owns no clothing appropriate for autumn in Philadelphia.

“Honestly, though, it’s the third-best place I’ve been homeless in. … You’ve got so many resources, places like this,” she said.

“I’m from Plattsburgh, [New York], originally,” she continued, pausing to laugh. “There’s nothing in upstate New York.”

King, who has experienced homelessness for years, was referred to The Wardrobe by CareerLink, Pennsylvania’s network of employment and training centers.

For more than 31 years, The Wardrobe has provided free professional clothing and other career services to people in need, including those experiencing homelessness or returning from incarceration.

The Wardrobe looks like a conventional clothing store, with display tables and clothing racks filling its modest retail space. Apparel is priced reasonably. It’s open to the public, but free shopping is for members only and requires an appointment. A membership allows someone to visit four times each year, with a six-item limit each visit.

Clients of The Wardrobe’s more than 200 community partners are automatically eligible. Others can contact the organization directly.

Sales cover little more than the rent, according to Program Director Mars Sharrock, with government grants and donations from individuals and foundations funding much of its work.

Once a quarter, the nonprofit holds an Open Wardrobe day, when appointments are not necessary.

King was one of more than 150 people who came to The Wardrobe on Wednesday in search of clothing that might help change their lives.

Changing clothes, changing needs

Opening its doors in 1995, The Wardrobe initially aimed to provide economically disadvantaged women with business attire. It operated under a simple philosophy: If you have a suit, you’ll have success.

It’s a philosophy Sharrock described as naive.

“There’s a reason we’ve been around so long and many other organizations like us haven’t,” Sharrock said.

According to him, it’s The Wardrobe’s adaptability.

While working for another nonprofit in 2019, Sharrock called out The Wardrobe Executive Director Sheri Cole for not offering men’s clothing.

A year later, The Wardrobe began offering services to men.

Observing Cole’s willingness to shift away from a central aspect of The Wardrobe’s mission, Sharrock applied for the organization’s program director position.

That flexibility was tested in 2021, after the capital city of Afghanistan was recaptured by the Taliban after months of military offensives.

The U.S. government flew nearly 30,000 Afghan refugees into Philadelphia. With little notice, The Wardrobe and its community partners scrambled to meet the demand, serving more than 300 refugees in a single day, Sharrock recalled.

After the initial rush, The Wardrobe worked with the Nationalities Services Center to assemble care packages of essential clothing for arriving refugees.

“We like to think of ourselves as the clothing arm of other nonprofits,” Sharrock said.

Over the years, as the workplace has become more casual, so too did The Wardrobe. Instead of just formal business attire, it began offering casual options.

The organization has also dialed back the frequency of resume-building services after enough clients said they were already getting that help elsewhere, such as from programs such as CareerLink.

“We want to give people what they need. As it turns out, what they need is clothes,” Sharrock said. “What we need, what we thrive on, is people to push us forward.”

A network of support

“We’ve got plenty of help with resumes and all that,” said Jason Dahzy, a student at Tiger Institute of Technology, one of around 10 from his program to participate in September’s Open Wardrobe.

“I’m graduating in October, so it’s just some nice clothes I need,” he said.

Dahzy intends to pursue a career as an electrician after he graduates in October.

The Wardrobe’s reputation extends far past local nonprofits who refer clients to the organization.

“I recently lost all my property. … All my clothes,” said Chris Jones, 40, who has lived in Philadelphia his whole life and is currently experiencing homelessness.

Jones said he intended to find warm clothes, not professional attire, at the Open Wardrobe.

“[A] buddy of mine up at the shelter on Broad [Street] told me to come down here today,” he said.

“Y’know, it’ll be pretty cold soon,” Jones added, looking down at his noticeably aged windbreaker.

Just inside The Wardrobe’s glass facade sat a basket nearly overflowing with winter clothes donated just that morning.

Meanwhile, King stood out front of the store, holding a brown paper bag overflowing with shoes, dresses, tights and jewelry. Her face, which was tense with anxiety earlier, was noticeably relaxed. Hints of a smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she recounted an employee giving her an extra pair of tights and saying, “This winter, you’ll need them.”