Free Clothing For All
That Means...
We receive secondhand clothing donations from people around Chicago and use those donations to create a dignified shopping experience full of stylish, high-quality items totally for free to those who need it. Take what you need. Give what you can.
FreeStyle is a mutual aid, mobile clothing store; providing all Chicago communities with stylish, high-quality clothing for FREE.
FreeStyle Chicago brings free, stylish, high quality clothing to all neighborhoods of Chicago, to aid in efforts of community-building, consciousness-raising and sustainability.
Our Mission
Our Vision
FreeStyle envisions a world where economies are slower and more circular and clothing waste is minimal. A world where communities are unified, working collectively toward the survival of all.
Our Values
Dignity
You know the saying “beggars can’t be choosers”? At FreeStyle, we absolutely reject that notion. We believe that everyone deserves the dignity of choice, personal style, and quality regardless of what they can afford. Yes, clothing is necessary for survival (protecting us from the elements, keeping us clean), but we’re interested in seeing more people and communities thrive. That means providing clothing for personal expression, special occasions, job interviews, vacations, school days, growing families, date nights, sporting events and so much more.
Abundance
We believe there is more than enough clothing to go around and too much of it ends up in a landfill. Studies show that only 20% of clothing donated to thrift stores actually ends up on the sales floor. That means 80% of donated garments will be incinerated, sent to a landfill or shipped to the Global South, often polluting and endangering their ecosystems (more on that here).
FreeStyle is here to offer an alternative. Giving your unwanted clothing to us ensures it goes straight into the hands of someone who needs it, at no cost to them. No landfills, no incinerators, no polluting other countries. Just longer lifetimes for your garments and stylish, high-quality items for all.
Access
We’re here to make it as easy as possible to get the clothing you need. Affordable, high-quality clothing is hard to find. Digging through thrift stores can be time consuming. Shelters and other nonprofits may not have the selection you need. At FreeStyle, clothing is always free. There is no limit to what you can take. You don't have to prove anything. No one knows what you need more than you do.
Our Team
Hannah Linsky
Hannah is a fashion educator & historian with an MA in Arts Education from the School of Art Institute of Chicago. Her work focuses on the intersection of fashion and politics. She is an avid vintage collector and stylist, and a passionate advocate for more equitable and sustainable fashion systems. FreeStyle has been a dream of hers ever since she hosted her first clothing swap in 2020.
Nickie Schwartz
With a passion to "ball on a budget," Nickie, a Chicago native, has been sharing curated vintage with the public for nearly six years. Her focus on sustainable styling is what connected her to FreeStyle. She believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to look and feel confident. "No vibes left behind" is her motto to ensure an inclusive experience for all.
Nneka Ugwu
Nneka is a third-year law student and storyteller. She's focused on public interest law, child/family law and education law. Her Chicago story first began in 2016 as a high school English teacher in Bronzeville. Since then, she's worked closely with Chicago's youth, families, community organizations and schools in a variety of settings to advocate for more equitable learning environments. Nneka's passion for reimagining systemic advocacy and policy connected her to FreeStyle. She loves vintage fashion and has a unique talent for creating immaculate playlists for literally any occasion.
How We Work
In an effort to work more closely with Chicago communities, we operate on an invitation-only system: we only show up where we’ve been invited. This helps us build relationships with community members across Chicago and asses the specific needs of each pop-up to supply the best options and service for that setting. How do you invite us? It’s easy! Fill out the form on our FIND US page, and we’ll be in touch. Right now, we’re only available for weekend days and we tend to book up quickly, so it helps to plan ahead!
Invite Us
We work with the hosts (whoever invites us) of every pop-up to settle on the perfect time and location, as well as accommodate any requests unique to the event or community.
Once we iron out the details, we’ll announce each pop-up on our website calendar and social media. Our website has a calendar that lists each pop-up location, date and time, and any other details. Or you can check out our “Find Us” highlight on Insta for all upcoming pop-ups.
On the day of the pop-up, FreeStyle will arrive with a collection of clothing and accessories. We provide all the clothing racks, tables, mirrors, etc. We even have portable fitting rooms. We do all the set up & take down. And someone from our team will stay at the pop-up the entire time to assist anyone who needs it.
We Bring the Clothes
Take What You Need
Everyone is able to come and shop for the clothing they need. Full stop. You don’t have to contribute anything. You don’t have to prove need. There is no limit to what you can take.
Just show up, shop around, try on, and take what you need. We’ll be nearby if you need any help or have any questions.
Give What You Can
During every pop-up, anyone can come and drop off their unwanted clothing. We’ll go through the items quickly to ensure quality. If anything doesn’t meet our standards, those things will be given back. A full list of the items we accept and our quality standards is available on our GIVE page and in our story highlights.
