A major part of any film or television production is the wardrobe – what characters will look like, what they will be wearing, and how the clothing they wear fits into the story, whether it be a modern sitcom or a period piece with specific clothing needs. Because of the vast array of productions that the Walt Disney Company has undertaken, their wardrobe department is certainly not lacking; with an overabundance of gently used, modern day wear at their disposal, the Walt Disney Company has opted to give back to their hurting community in a different way.
Disney Entertainment Television invited its employees, production crew, and their families who had lost their homes and possessions in the recent Los Angeles fires to the wardrobe warehouse in North Hollywood, so that families could choose from hundreds of thousands of clothing and shoes from recent Disney film and televisions productions; families were allowed to take what they needed at no expense, in an attempt to return some security to the people of LA who have had their lives turned upside down by the recent string of fires.
“Most companies are not sitting on an entire warehouse full of wardrobe — some of which has been barely used, if it’s been used at all,” said Heidi Chong, Vice President of Production Shared Services for Disney Entertainment Television. “We really want to emphasize to the families: ‘If you come here, we’ve already organized everything for you. It’s all on display on the racks. You can find what you need.’ There are no limits to the amounts that people are getting; it’s really about what they need.”
The idea comes from Belen Buenrrostro, a manager in the Asset Management department of Disney Entertainment Television, who emailed her own manager about the potential to open the Disney wardrobe warehouse to affected families within the company. The email included the request and the ever-hopeful ask: “This might be a long shot, but can we make it happen?”
Buenrrostro has since remarked on the quick turnaround of this community outreach project, stating that the team received plenty of support to make it happen – most of which came from within the Walt Disney family itself, in a company-wide collaboration to ensure that affected employees and their families could benefit in a truly meaningful way.
Warehouse staff worked over the weekend to ensure that the operation could go off without a hitch, and on the following Monday, more than eighty voluntEARS were unpacking boxes, setting up displays, and sorting items by size, style, and category to ensure the families coming to the warehouse would have as easy a time as possible.
Disney has been coordinating a lot of resources through our Employee Care & Support team,” said Chong. “We worked with that team to identify which families had been impacted and should be invited to this event.”
Invitations were sent out via email, and employees were asked to register online and choose an arrival window; in many cases, Disney worked closely with these affected individuals to ensure they could get the resources they needed as soon as possible, offering accommodations outside of the standard registry for families in urgent need.
In addition to providing accommodations for exceptional situations, Disney leadership sought to make the unusual shopping trip as painless as possible for those invited, setting up a kids’ area where Disney+ movies would stream to keep the kids safe and entertained, as well as offering “buddy shoppers” that assisted employees in the great undertaking of replacing a lifetime of wardrobe.
Many Disney productions over the years have been stored in the wardrobe warehouse, including clothes from productions like Genius: MLK/X, grown-ish, The Old Man, Station 19, UnPrisoned, and Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. These varying productions with their wide array of styles and wardrobe options allowed Disney to provide plenty for the employees in need and their families.
“It’s very heartwarming to see everybody find things they like,” Buenrrostro said. “We had one family that’s really into vintage clothing, and they were so excited that we offer more than just new, store-bought items.”
Buenrrostro noted that “we have tons of clothes”, with over three hundred racks packed with clothing from a variety of productions available to choose from.
Chong has expressed a deep gratitude for the chance to help the affected area, as well as the Disney Employees dedicated to producing magic of all colors, shapes, and sizes in the Los Angeles area: “Everybody wants to participate and wants to help those around them, but it’s hard to know how,” she said. “This was very tangible. There was real work to do, whether that was packing bags or unboxing new clothing items, and today we’re seeing that make a real impact on individuals’ lives at a time when everything feels overwhelming.”
Disney’s support in the wake of this disaster isn’t just limited to its employees, either; Recently, the Walt Disney Company has pledged fifteen million dollars in support of the greater Los Angeles area; Theme Park Shark previously reported on this announcement – to read more about the commitment that Disney is making to LA, check out our article below:
