Monday, Oct. 28, the Office of Sustainability hosted a free Halloween pop-up in Hodges Library. The pop-up’s mission was to offer students a convenient and free option for finding their Halloween costumes.
The pop-up sourced the clothing from the Clarence Brown Theatre, taking costumes that were no longer in use and were going to be thrown away or donated. This highlights the pop-up’s environmentally friendly aspect, allowing people to minimize their waste by reusing costumes that otherwise might’ve been trashed.
JC Ford, an employee there, talked more about how the pop-up recycled the clothing.
“Instead of that waste going back out, we took them, and then now we get to give it back out to students for free,” Ford said.
Ford estimated that a few hundred students would be able to take advantage of the pop-up today and walk out with a free, unique costume.
The pop-up proved to be a wonderful resource for hundreds of students and faculty who were able to stop in and pick up a costume for free while in between classes and meetings.
Abby Potter, a UT student studying English and political studies, was checking out the pop-up shop for a potential costume.
“Well, there seems to be so many unique items so it’s kind of really exciting,” Potter said. “I think what’s so wonderful about the pop-up is that all these pieces are unique. So it’s like you’re not gonna really find these things in a store.”
The pop-up not only offered convenience to students but was also a benefit to faculty members. Mercedes Appel, a faculty member of the department of earth, environmental and planetary sciences, spoke about her experience at the pop-up.
“It’s been really great. My office is in Strong Hall, so I just walked right on over, and it’s great they have this opportunity for students and staff,” Appel said.
With a wide variety of options to pick from, many faculty and staff found fun costumes to take home. So, what costumes are flying off the racks this year?
“I might grab something mermaid-esque,” Potter said.
Mermaids seemed to be at the top of many lists this year.
Besides mermaids, other popular costumes this year include dressing up as a prisoner or in a “jailbird” costume. Many other popular costumes are of characters from recently released films.
“I think I’m going to do, like, ‘The Incredibles’ with my family,” Appel said. “We’ve been really watching that movie and my kids were very interested in doing that for their costume.”
Students searched through full racks and tables stacked with costumes for inspiration, ideas and exciting finds. Part of the thrill of the pop-up was finding a unique piece that you might not have otherwise thought of.
Maze Tate, another employee of the pop-up, offered insight into this year’s most popular costumes.
“I work at Spirit Halloween,” Tate said. “The main things I see people buying (have to do with) what movies are coming out, so there was a lot of Art the Clown, a lot of Ghost-face, a lot of Minions, a lot of Lorax as well.”
From my time at this year’s free Halloween pop-up, expect to see lots of movie references, mermaids and prisoners when you’re out on Halloween this year.
The free pop-up was a success, providing students and faculty with a convenient, free and environmentally conscious way to find one-of-a-kind costumes. By reusing costumes from the theater, this event not only reduced waste but helped foster a sense of community and build everyone’s excitement for Thursday.
