Fernando Serrano, one of the Haggar suit recipients, at the Moisés E. Molina High School prom. Photo courtesy of Jane Beck.
The annual tradition of prom is a monumental experience for a graduating high school senior. At Moisés E. Molina High School, the prom closet helps make that dream come true.
Stephanie Vick, a test coordinator at the high school, saw the need of her students and started the closet when she joined the campus.
“I started it four years ago, kind of just out of my own closet and things like that. And then over the years, my office aides have helped keep it going and help the girls when I’m not here,” she said.
During the last year, Vick said the prom closet was able to help 30-40 girls.
“The girls love it because they can come in throughout the day, through their passing period or before school or during their elective period and it makes it easy because I have a really large room that has a private area where they can change and they can try on things,” she said. “It makes it really easy for them, so that they don’t feel like they have to go out and they get seen or anything like that. It’s just so easy for them. It’s just a one-stop shop. … But the thing is, I could never help the boys. I just never got enough donations to help any boy.”
That’s when Haggar, a Dallas-based menswear brand, came in to close the gap.
Jonathan Potter, senior vice president of marketing for Haggar, said that after hearing about the prom closet, they knew they could help.
“When we talk about our company and our brand, we often talk about (that) we believe deeply in the ability of things like tailored clothing to help people achieve their personal and professional goals …,” Potter said. “This was an opportunity to make sure that these kids had an opportunity to participate and that the financial barriers weren’t a reason why they weren’t able to go to and attend prom and be part of these kinds of social events that are very meaningful.”
Through Haggar’s This Feels Good campaign, the company provided suits, fitted and tailored, to nearly 200 students and staff at Molina.
Mariano Barbosa and Vicente Navarro were two of those seniors.
“It was like a cool way because not only would I get a free tuxedo, it would be like, I’m getting one exactly to my size,” Barbosa said, “and I get to experience all the measurements and all how they do it.”
Barbosa said that having the tuxedo not only provided them with a good prom experience but also their peers, who may not have been able to go otherwise.
“Because some weren’t able to afford a tuxedo,” he said. “Once they got the tuxedo and the money they had for the tuxedo, they bought the ticket, and with that they went to prom.”
Not only were the seniors able to use the tuxedo for the prom on May 9, but all recipients are able to keep the Haggar suits for their future endeavors.
“I’m just glad we got a tuxedo for free, not everybody has one,” Navarro said. “And that gave me one, and I was glad.”
