Utilizing A University Clothing And Textiles Collection To ...€¦ · needs of disadvantaged community members are addressed. Clothing and textile artifacts are particularly reflective

Utilizing A University Clothing And Textiles Collection To Implement A

Workplace Dress Program

Diana Saiki

Ball State University

Abstract

Clothing and textile collections are common in family and consumer sciences programs, but they

are underutilized resources for the community. These collections can help address a number of

community issues in a positive and entertaining manner. The purpose of this article is to present

and assess a program about workplace dress that incorporated a historic clothing and textile

collection at Ball State University. The program was developed by faculty, students, and

collection staff. Community members from organizations serving low-income groups

participated in a presentation that included interacting with collection artifacts, a shopping trip

with fashion students who served as consultants, and a style show. The results demonstrate that

seventy-five low-income men and women learned about clothing fit, appropriate workplace

dress, and selecting workplace dress within a particular budget. Participants also enjoyed the

program. It was a mutually beneficial activity merging resources from the collection, university,

and community.

Keywords

clothing and textile collections, workplace, low income

Introduction

University clothing and textiles collections developed during the early 1900s and have continued

to grow (Welters and Ordoňez 2011). Although these collections are primarily used for teaching

and research, they also can serve as an effective bridge between academia and the public (Cross

2009). Clothing and textile collections have been described as important in providing

information about family and clothing, and have been noted to be an “untapped source of

information” for extension agents and other practitioners (Arthur 1997, 58).

The museum profession has started to discover potential in working with community partners to

teach the public about contemporary social issues, such as the potential to host an exhibition of

art by the homeless or making an exhibition about gun violence (Born 2006). This approach to

Saiki, D. Utilizing A University Clothing -

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museum offerings is mutually beneficial: museums gain exposure to different audiences and the

needs of disadvantaged community members are addressed. Clothing and textile artifacts are

particularly reflective of societal values (e.g., Hauf 2010), providing opportunities for such

exhibits and education programs.

Appropriate workplace dress has been a component of job placement programs in partnerships

with universities, community agencies, and retail industry. The topic is particularly relevant to

regions where the job market has suffered greatly from economic recession. With the rise in

jobless claims, reviewing the appropriateness of their clothing for interviews is often the last

thought on the minds of the many out-of-work populations. The topic is important, however, as

research has shown that it greatly affects acquiring and keeping employment. Also, the trend

toward casual since the late 20th century has caused confusion about what is appropriate to wear

to work (Bixler and Nix-Rice 2005; Christman and Branson 1990; Underwood et al. 2002).

This topic is one of the many that clothing and textiles collections can address as a potential

contribution to the already established resources of community and industry partnerships. The

purpose of this paper is to discuss and assess an outreach program as part of a university clothing

and textile exhibition aimed at teaching low-income job seekers about workplace dress.

Review of literature

Whether a part of a larger community or a university setting, museums are significant as the

“keepers of community history, values, innovation, and provocative ideas” (Born 2006, 7). There

are many examples of teaching with collections and using collections reported in the literature.

One strategy noted to overcome the image of museums being distant and cold is developing

exhibitions and programming to address contemporary social issues. For example, an exhibit

may trace poverty within a community with related programming featuring low-income artists.

These programs help the community address a social issue and enable the museum to build

community connections (Born 2006). Similar observations have been made by museum

professionals. In such programming, community groups gain increased knowledge about topics

while the museum gains a sense of gratification in helping others, and it broadens and deepens

the scope of its audiences. However, it is important for the museum to be flexible and resilient

given the different entities involved (Henderson and Sullivan 2002).

University clothing and textiles collections are made to fulfill a university’s mission, which

varies somewhat from a community museum’s focus of collecting and preserving cultural history

(Welters and Ordoňez 2011). Community programs that incorporate university clothing and

textiles collections include exhibition tours and presentations for schools, church groups, and

special interest groups (Marcketti, et al. 2011; Welters and Ordoňez 2011). A notable example

was reported by Miller and Portillo (1996). The authors discussed revitalizing a collection’s



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visibility in the community by developing a program using student help about the socio-cultural

aspects of the millinery. It involved historical assessment of the collection with reporting by

local media. The extra media attention resulted in donations and invitations to present to

community groups. An exhibit featuring the collection’s hats was developed with related

education programming for K-12 audiences, for example, using hats to stimulate creative

writing. Kits with historic hats were also made to take to various classrooms.

Artifacts are rich with meaning (Eder 1998) and can reveal much about the economy, religious

beliefs, government, technological level, community and family life, social customs, and the arts

of a region. Within lessons, artifacts add interest to a lecture and can be discussed in terms of

identity, function, and meaning. They can represent symbols, designs, or styles. Artifacts

make history and elements of a culture easier to understand (Hauf 2010).

Numerous strategies have been identified for incorporating artifacts in community outreach

programs, particularly for young learners, such as drawing and interviewing others about

artifacts (Morgan 1991). Often suitcases or kits of artifacts about a particular subject are used to

stimulate discussion (Wasta 2001). These kits include primary sources, such as journals,

symbols, manufacturing goods, and artifacts from archaeological digs (Morris 2000). A similar

strategy uses a “journey box,” which takes learners through a historical journey with artifacts

(Labbo and Field 1999).

Artifacts from clothing and textiles collections are mainly used in teaching historic and cultural

lessons to university students (Welters and Ordoňez 2011). However, these artifacts have been

incorporated in other fashion courses. For example, an activity was implemented in a visual

merchandising class where university students made a web page featuring collection artifacts

merchandised to simulate selling in the contemporary vintage market (Sampson 2006).

Several programs about teaching workplace dress have been discussed in the literature with

varying strategies to teach low-income job seekers. A description of three programs follows.

Saiki (2005) detailed a successful program for low-income job-seeking men and women

participating in an employment agency. Workplace dress was presented within the context of the

reasons that people wear clothing, including function, comfort, psychological self-enhancement,

and aesthetics. The guidelines were presented by two individuals, one appropriately and another

inappropriately dressed for the workplace. Assessment of the program demonstrated that

community job seekers learned from and enjoyed the program. However, job seekers noted that

the outfits presented were more expensive than what they could afford, and the presentation was

changed based on audience responses by adding a statement that dressing for the workplace is a

challenge for everyone, not only low-income individuals, because of the general trend of



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dressing down. These ideas could be incorporated in future presentations, thus lessening the gap

between the presenters and the audience.

McLeod (2003) discussed a workplace dress program called “Fashion Takes Action” that was

implemented by a university and Sears retail stores. Low-income women shopped with fashion

experts at Sears to find appropriate workplace dress. Interpersonal relationships were developed,

and media provided coverage. All these factors made the program a success. Participants learned

about traditional business dress, guidelines for business casual dress, and shopping for workplace

dress within a budget among other aspects of dressing for work, and their self-worth as measured

by qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey increased due to participating in the program.

However, participants expressed some anxiety. To ease their nerves, the fashion experts gave

them individual advice and shared personal stories of challenge with regard to dressing. After

noticing participants did not want to talk to others they knew about their participation in a

program known to be for low-income, the researcher suggested to frame the program positively

as one of inspiration rather than as a give-a-way.

“Clothing Collaborative” was a workplace dress program that supported clients as identified by

state- and community-based services (Turner-Bowker 2001). Participants visited a central

location to choose donated clothing items for work. The organization also ran sporadic

workshops about workplace dress. After interviewing ten participants it was found that

participants gained an understanding of the importance of dress for interviewing.

Purpose

A trend in museum exhibitions and programming is to broaden the scope to critical issues in

society, which results in mutual benefits for the museum and community (Born 2006).

University clothing and textiles collections have great potential to be used in such projects.

Numerous programs by retail stores, universities, and employment agencies incorporate several

strategies to teach low-income populations about workplace dress, including information

sessions, shopping activities, and media coverage. Sometimes their messages are not heard by

participants who perceive the message as a “singling out” of their social group (Saiki 2005;

McLeod 2003). Using university clothing and textiles collections may help communicate this

message in an entertaining and impartial manner. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and

assess a program developed in partnership with a university collection, employment agencies,

and retailers aimed at teaching unemployed community members lessons about workplace dress.

Program

This education program was developed as part of an online exhibition created by museum staff,

an undergraduate FCS education student, a fashion graduate student, and two fashion



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professors. The program was reviewed and evaluated before implementation by a team of

students (mainly enrolled in fashion merchandising and apparel design) and representatives from

community organizations. It was developed to cater to the low-income community.

Organizations that serve the unemployed, such as YWCA and Teamwork for Quality Living,

were invited to participate in the program. Fashion students enrolled in an intermediate apparel

construction and fit course served as consultants to the community participants. Prior to the start

of the program, these students learned about fit and professional dress. In addition,

representatives from the participating community organizations prepared students to work with

low-income populations.

The program included three meetings. First, community participants attended a “meet and greet,”

where they met with university partners, completed a pre-program survey, examined related

artifacts from the collection, and participated in a one-hour instructional presentation about

workplace dress. This first meeting was held at a variety of locations, such as the collaborating

university and the local library. Next, community job seekers partnered with university fashion

students to shop at local second-hand stores for appropriate workplace dress within a budget.

Finally, community job seekers showed their new professional looks at a style show and

completed a post-program survey. These shows were held at the regular meeting place of the

participating community organization. The initial meeting, shopping, and style show were

completed over a two- to three-month time period.

Four primary activities were used to teach participants about workplace dress. Activities one and

two occurred at the first meeting. First, the participants visited an online exhibition that featured

artifacts from the university’s clothing and textiles collection. The initial section of the exhibition

included suits from the 20th century. Text panels, the suits, and embedded links to videos

highlighted fashionable silhouettes of each decade. The section that followed featured artifacts

from the 1930s and 1940s to demonstrate how the economy influenced dress. For example, a

shoe with a clunky sole from the period was discussed as saving money for the wearer (less

likely to wear out). The exhibition also had a section with related educational activities. The

activities incorporated into the outreach presentation (second activity) included a game in Adobe

Flash software where the participant dragged period shapes (e.g., inverted triangle for 1980s) to

the appropriate suit silhouette (see Figure 1). For the second game the participants dressed a male

or female figure in as many outfits as possible using a predetermined number of articles of

clothing (see Figure 2).



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Figure 1. Screen shot of game to drop and drag period shapes.

Figure 2. Screen shot of the second outfit game, female version.

For the second activity, community participants attended a presentation. The two presenters

helped develop the online display and education program (fashion professors and students who

study fashion and FCS education). The presenters introduced the topic by discussing the history

of the dress-down trend and the impact that appearance has on promotions, employment, and

perceptions. The group discussed their first impressions of the presenters – one presenter was

dressed in casual clothing and the second presenter in appropriate workplace dress. The

participants discussed common features of the historic suits in the online exhibition. The

presenters identified components of traditional workplace dress for men (e.g., suit, dark colors,

and so on), noting its roots in the history of the classic business suit. Then the presenters



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identified the components and features of workplace casual dress given the features discussed in

the historic and traditional business suit. Fit was discussed, followed by participation in the

online matching silhouette game. Finally the wardrobe concept was presented and participants

completed the related wardrobing game.

The third activity was shopping at second-hand retail stores Goodwill Industries and a locally

owned secondhand store. Goodwill Industries joined as a partner because the program met the

company’s goals of assisting with work and employment training. The locally owned

secondhand store was added later because it offered different merchandise from Goodwill

Industries. The clothing was funded through grants offered by local community foundations.

Fashion students served as consultants by assisting community participants with selecting

appropriate clothing and making any necessary garment alterations. For the final activity, these

looks were featured in a style show that was mainly developed by the local community program

participants as part of their regular meetings or special events. Preparing for the style show

required part of a day to prepare and distribute clothing. The style show lasted about one hour

and was held at the community organizations’ meeting sites. The format of the show varied by

community organization. The community participants kept the clothing purchased for the

program.

Assessment

Pre/post-program surveys included fourteen seven-point Likert questions prompting assessment

of program concepts (see Table 1). Survey questions were developed by the team who created

the display and outreach program. The main points in the presentation were highlighted,

including concepts about fit, appropriate workplace dress, and shopping for workplace clothing

within a budget. The post-program survey also asked participants how well the program

maintained their interest and how much they would use the information in the future. Participants

could also make further comments. The survey was reviewed by two fashion professors, the

community organizers, and the participating students (FCS education and fashion). Program

organizers were available to answer questions to clarify the survey statements as participants

completed the survey. Pictures were also taken of the participants’ new looks. Pre-and post-

program questions were analyzed statistically with a ttest. The pictures were analyzed for

appropriateness of workplace attire. Appropriateness was documented as clothing type including

classic business attire (business suit; jacket, pants or skirt, and button-up shirt) and business

casual attire (sweater, button-up shirt, and dress pants). Any other dress-types were categorized

as inappropriate (e.g., jeans, tight-fitting knit tops). Two researchers independently analyzed the

written comments about the program and the pictures. One of the researchers was a fashion

professor who participated in the development of the program. The second researcher was a

dietetics graduate student who was not involved with the program. After independently



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analyzing the data, the two researchers discussed and compared their results until agreement was

reached.

Results

The program was completed three times with a total of seventy-five community members from

two organizations serving low-income job seekers. Of those responding to the demographic

section (n = 49), 28.47 percent (n = 14) were males and 71.43 percent (n = 35) were females.

Participants were 18 to 72 years old, with most being 30 to 39 years old (n = 16; 32.65 percent).

Responses to the Likert questions significantly changed pre- to post-survey except for the

questions “I am comfortable with shopping for second-hand clothing” and “I know how to make

basic fixes to clothing, such as reattaching a button and fixing a hem” (see Table 1). The mean

score for the statement “The information presented is something I will be able to use” was 6.07

with 7 being strongly agree. The statement “The activities kept my interest” had a mean score of

6.18.

Table 1. Pre-and post-test comparisons to assess participant learning from the program.

Question N

Pre-test

Mean

Post-test

Mean t Test Df p Value

I know my body type 55 4.91 5.71 -3.504 54 0.001

I can identify which

professional clothing items will

look the best on me 55 4.44 5.60 -4.787 54 0.000

I am confident that I know how

to determine if a garment fits 55 4.75 5.53 -4.077 54 0.000

I am confident when it comes

to finding clothing in my size 55 4.80 5.73 -3.594 54 0.001

I know what professional

clothing will look best on me 54 4.35 5.31 -3.778 53 0.000

I have an extensive knowledge

of what is appropriate

in different workplace

settings 54 5.00 5.57 -2.210 53 0.031



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I know the difference between

workplace casual and

traditional work place dress 53 4.81 5.68 -3.850 52 0.000

I know how to build a wardrobe

plan using select garments 54 4.00 5.57 -6.716 53 0.000

I know how to build a wardrobe

on a limited budget 54 4.35 5.76 -5.391 53 0.000

I am comfortable with shopping

for second-hand clothing 55 5.98 6.13 -.721 54 0.474

When shopping for clothing, I

am confident that I can find

quality products that will last 54 5.07 5.96 -3.591 53 0.001

I know how to reuse different

parts of a garment to create

something new 55 4.00 5.24 -4.245 54 0.000

I know how to make basic fixes

to clothing, such as reattaching

a button and fixing a hem 55 4.36 4.87 -1,641 54 0.107

I am familiar with historical

silhouettes and how they have

affected professional dress over

time 55 3.05 4.64 -5.394 54 0.000

Written comments by participants noted they learned from and enjoyed the program. All but two

of the fourteen (85.7 percent) participants who made extra comments were positive about the

program. These positive statements included enjoyment (e.g., “awesome”), and statements about

learning and gratitude. A participant wrote “loved the clothing website, esp. the activity.”

Another commented about the shopping activity: “The gals were very helpful when we were

shopping. We had fun.” A respondent noticed a transformation in appearance and attitude in

themselves and others: “I liked the transformation – the before pics versus the ‘new look.’ You

could see a change in attitude as well as appearance.” Two (14.3 percent) participants made

suggestions to improve the program and expressed a desire to learn more. A participant said “go

into more depth about body type and what each should wear.” In the 31 pictures analyzed, the

majority chose to wear suit jackets and slacks or skirts (83.88 percent). Those that did not wear

these classic business items chose appropriate shirts, sweaters, and slacks. Only one picture was



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categorized as inappropriately dressed (3.2 percent) wearing a tightfitting knit top with a low

neckline.

Discussion

Results demonstrate potential in using clothing and textile collections to explore community

issues, such as appropriate dress in a work environment. Responses to statements about

knowledge of professional dress, traditional business to business casual dress, individual fit,

wardrobe building, and suit silhouettes during the 20th century showed significantly greater

understanding pre- to post-programming.

Participants gained an understanding pre- to post-programming of shopping for quality products,

but did not demonstrate an increase in comfort with shopping for second-hand clothing. The

mean pre-programming score was already agree (5.93), increasing slightly to 6.13 post-

programming. This population may already have knowledge about shopping at second-hand

stores. It may be a lesson that future programs do not need to include. Other venues of obtaining

clothing could be incorporated, such as online shopping or shopping at retail stores that sell new

goods, training participants to look for the best deals.

Participants indicated increased understanding of how to reuse different parts of a garment.

However, the responses to understanding how to fix garments did not change pre- to post-

programming with a neutral mean score (4.36 to 4.87) for both surveys. The program did not

require participants to complete the activities in the online display related to fixing garments.

The result indicates that hands-on interaction with concepts is necessary with such programs.

As found with previous workplace dress programs, this program stimulated similar responses of

confidence and self-efficacy (e.g., McLeod 2003). In addition, there was not an indication of

self-consciousness of participants’ social group as found in assessments of previous workplace

dress programs (Saiki 2005; McLeod 2003). Approaching the subject as a historic trend using

historic artifacts from a collection may have helped buffer the perceived social differences

between the presenters and the audience.

The program stimulated positive mutually beneficial relationships among the university, the

collection, retailers, and the community members. Participants learned from the program.

University faculty benefitted by seeking funding from local community foundations and gaining

connections with community agencies. Industry retailers and the university clothing collection

gained publicity and, as noted in previous literature, flexibility and some coordination of efforts

were required because of the many agencies involved, each with its own way of working

(Henderson and Sullivan 2002). Community organizations gained access to resources



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collaborating with a university apparel and textiles collection, such as historic artifacts,

university facilities, and student assistance.

The program is an example of how a university clothing and textiles collection can be utilized in

outreach programming to help address a social issue. There are numerous other issues that can be

addressed in collaboration with a clothing and textile collection as these artifacts reflect societal

values and lifestyles (e.g., Hauf 2010). For example, clothing materials could be examined from

a sustainability perspective or body images through time could be a focus, featuring the

fashionable measurements of clothing through history. Further study could examine the long-

term impact of this program on the participants with regard to continued wearing of professional

clothing and success in job placement.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Dr. Jinhee Nam, Jessica Beck, Debra Shidler, Bethany Hall, and Jeff Hurst for

their collaborative efforts with the project and to Discovery, The Community Foundation of

Muncie & Delaware County, and the Indiana Campus Compact for providing funding for the

program.

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Documents

Utilizing A University Clothing And Textiles Collection To ...€¦ · needs of disadvantaged community members are addressed. Clothing and textile artifacts are particularly reflective