The Women’s Resource Center’s (WRC) clothing swap was a sea of eager students within three minutes of its opening Tuesday.

Students had the opportunity to participate in a clothing swap. One was allowed to drop off gently used or new fashion items as well as exchange an existing item for one of their own. Lee Ann Park, NIU alumna and designer, donated over 700 items of clothing from her clothing line, Little in the Middle.

“I remember what it was like to be a student and not having any money,” Park said. “I remember balancing my checkbook down to a dollar and not being able to buy nice clothes for my job.”

Carrie Williams, assistant director for the WRC, said the idea for the swap came from a student suggestion.

“It was a student last semester who gave the idea of a clothing swap to give back to students,” said Williams. “It’s a way to exchange clothes with those who may not be able to have them or those who want to get rid of it. So it was her idea, it was her baby. And we’ve developed and grown from there.”

The selection of items available was meant to reflect outfits that can be used in both career and home life.

“There’s a huge variety, from men to women, to casual to business, to jackets, coats, purses, shoes, all sizes, different patterns, and jeans,” Williams said.

Now, with a degree in accounting, Park said she is able to bring her dream of creating a body-positive clothing line to fruition.

“Little in the Middle is a women’s clothing line designed using a patented sizing chart where the clothes are big by the waist and then one size bigger at the hips and thighs,” said Park. “So basically, it’s for when you’re little in the middle. You don’t get the gap in the back of the clothes.”

Although the large donation was not expected from the alumna, Lisa Schmidt, director for the WRC, said the collaboration was successful.

“Really, Lee Ann just kind of coming to us was a pleasant surprise,” Schmidt said. “It was going to happen anyway, but her coming to us was a real blessing and I think the students are really benefiting tremendously from this.”

Park said her design and size inspirations stem from the difficulties women have finding consistent clothing sizes among different brands. Additionally, Park said she was frustrated with the media’s distortion of real women’s bodies.

“Everyone is unique and so many times in our media and our society and our culture, we all think we need to look like a certain shape and size,” Park said. “And with all the photo airbrushing, etc., it’s hard to know what’s real and what isn’t.”

The ability for women to be able to see other women fitting into realistic sizes is another important goal of Little in the Middle, Park said.

“It’s for that curvy body shape,” Park said. “I just want people to be able to relate to me and be able to understand. I want people to see these clothes and these women and say, ‘That’s me.'”

The event lasted from 3 to 5 p.m. and by 3:30 one of the room-length tables was bare.

Park, Williams and Schmidt agreed the swap was a success for everyone involved.

“I get that all the time at shows, where women come up to me and say, ‘Thank you so much, I love you,'” Park said. “I just totally get it, I totally relate and I think that’s why I find it so rewarding. I remember wearing leggings with a big sweater because I felt like I needed to hide everything, so it’s been an awesome experience.”