Outside the Jerry Falwell Library last week, a group of students surrounded a rack full of colorful clothes for sale. Over the next two hours, many students came and went, some stopping to chat and others flipping through the array of clothes.
But this is not just any old closet-sale. The students behind the Vagabonds Vintage pop-up shop, and many other student-run business, are seeking to cultivate community and sustainability through second-hand fashion on campus.
“From the get-go, it wasn’t about making money or making an appearance, it was about creating a community,” Jesse Beaux Rudkin, a student and founder of Vagabonds Vintage, said. “Before all else, it’s about fostering an atmosphere that is inclusive… and that inspires creativity through morally ethical practices.”
Rudkin created Vagabonds Vintage, a pop-up vintage shop, because of his passion for creating community through the arts and bringing an outdoors edge to vintage fashion.