Coutts Woman

It’s all in the look

There’s a leak in the ceiling of Dress for Success when I arrive at their office – the ground and lower ground floor of a converted Georgian townhouse on the not-so-nice side of Old Street in London. 

On first glance, the ground floor isn’t much bigger than a sitting room.  There are brown boxes scattered around, a couch pulled out from the wall (to avoid the leak), two railings full of perfectly hung suits waiting to go to Holloway prison, more rails of clothes being poured over by two ‘clients’ that morning, and a smattering of desks – one for Joceyln Hillman, the charity’s head, and two more for volunteer administrators who are in the office that day.  Everything and everyone is literally on top of each other. 

It’s hard not to be shocked by this small, chaotic space.  Especially if you’ve pawed over their website which features perfectly-groomed women smiling, dream-like, out from the screen (presumably their clients ) - though, on closer inspection, the site is predominantly advertising Dress for Success offices in US.  However, one thing is certain, what this UK charity lacks in physical space, it more than makes up for in achievement.

Dress for Success was set up in the UK in February 2000, a sister of the American charity, (they do not receive funding from them) to help get women either into or back into the workplace.  They give women clothes and accessories for job interviews, consultations on interview techniques, and psychological help to prepare them for the working world.

To get a meeting with Dress for Success, women must first be referred on by one of their 35 partner referral agencies, which include the Prince’s Trust, Mind, Holloway Prison, the Exodus project, Job Centre Plus, Reading partnership and more.  These are women who may be former substance abusers, convicts, school-leavers, homeless, disabled, refugees, or simply women who have never worked, having brought up a family.

“They come here because they are trying to get off benefits.  They are not no-hopers but women who are trying to get a job,” insists Hillman.  “What we offer, apart from clothes, is a completely non-judgemental, inclusive, caring and very personal service.”

Each woman is given a consultation that lasts up to an hour and a half.  This time is spent talking through the client’s history, the interview they have, and the kind of clothes they might wear.  They then go downstairs to try on different suits from the vast rails of clothes collected from business firms and large corporates throughout the year.

“We advise them on how they should present themselves in interview, ” explains Hillman.  “A lot have never worked, so don’t understand how you dress or what happens at them.

“We also talk through what questions might come up, coaching and mentoring them,” she continues.  “And as the time goes on, they talk about any other barriers preventing them from getting work, such as self-esteem and childcare.  It’s really about preparing them.We also give them a voucher to come back and see us if they are successful at the interview, to get more clothes.  It’s an extra incentive.”

Help

With approximately 18-20 women referred each week, it’s too much work for Hillman, the charity’s only paid member. Thankfully, she has an army of committed, high-calibre volunteers to help.  Their responsibilities vary from administration to client consultations, to dressing clients for interview.

“All of our 30 volunteers are exceptional women, women who want to give a bit back.  We have lawyers, accountants, barristers, bankers, and managers - mostly women who have worked in the corporate world and understand it.  So when they’re giving advice to our clients, it’s usually something they’ve done,” she insists.

“They come here because they are trying to get off benefits.  They are not no-hopers, but women who are trying to get a job.”

It is the women they meet that keep Hillman and her volunteers so dedicated.  “Often they have never been given anything in their lives, and people haven’t been nice to them.  Some women get very emotional here.  It’s meeting them and following up with them, finding out whether they get the job or not, and getting involved in their lives that makes you realise how lucky you are.”

The hard part?  Funding.  “Because we’re not a training organisation and don’t fit into a lot of the government criteria, it’s difficult to get the funding.  But I’m still fighting them on that.  We’re helping them achieve their objectives of reducing child poverty by 2020 – by getting single mums into work.  And we’re helping Job Centre Plus achieve their objectives by getting people off benefits.  So we just have to make more people aware of what we do.”

Corporate funding is also scarcer as a result of the rise in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes. “In the old days, companies used to send you a cheque.  Now, they pre-elect a ‘charity of the year’ which they fundraise exclusively for all year round.  Or they need staff to vote on where the funds should go.  So we get left out really.”

No more than her clients, Hillman is determined not to remain left out.  She continues the fight for funding to help ensure the charity carries on and grows. “When we give people clothes and help boost their confidence, they get judged on their skills and experience, not on whether they look homeless or have come out of jail.  They’re in with that chance because they look and feel the part.  To be part of that in people’s lives is really very humbling,” concludes Hillman.

How to help?

Donate a suit.  All sizes, especially larger, are welcome.  And trouser suits are particularly in demand as they are preferred by Muslim women and ex-convicts who may have to wear electronic tags.

Become a volunteer.  Contact Dress for Success direct on 020 7288 1770 to find out more about the dates and times that are available, and what’s involved.

Donate money. Send a cheque to Dress for Success at Unit 2, 83 Shepperton Road, London N1 3DF.

Dress for Success is open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5.30pm.  They see clients from Tuesday to Friday and on the first Saturday of every month between 10am and 1pm.