Student Employment Services (JOBshop) and the Bottomless Closet joined together to collect donations for men and women in need of professional clothing. The Bottomless Closet provides men and women who are either preparing for a job interview, or just started a job, with the proper dress attire in the professional world.

According to a client fact sheet, the mission of the Bottomless Closet “is to support women in transition by providing

business professional clothing, career skills and image coaching, empowering them to interview with confidence, gain employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency.” They now offer the same to men.

According to Joanne Johnson-Clauser of the JOBshop, clients are referred to the organization by referral agencies and come by appointment; the donation program held April 21 made MATC a new referral agency partner.

Clients are required to be currently seeking employment or to be newly hired. They will receive two outfits while they are on the job search, and up to four more once they have found work, with a limit of six outfits over their lifetime.

All of the services are free for clients.

To succeed at their mission the Bottomless Closest needs help, and help is exactly what the JOBshop was trying to do when they teamed up with Steven LeMaster of the Bottomless Closet for the April 21 donation event. The event, held at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus, enabled employees to drop off gently used or new professional clothing. “It really was a fun and worthwhile project,” Johnson-Clauser said.

“There were approximately 65 different individuals who donated 1-1/2 large clothing racks of items for the clothing drive,” Johnson-Clauser said. “Needless to say, it was a great success.”

Anyone who may have missed this opportunity to drop off their unwanted professional clothing or who may want to make a monetary donation may still do so by contacting the Bottomless Closet. They accept sizes from 0 to 6x, with larger sizes in more demand.

Students in need of assistance can now contact them, too. Their number is 414-875-9290.