DRESS FOR SUCCESS CINCINNATI

Dress for Success Cincinnati solves the "Catch-22” that confronts disadvantaged women trying to enter the workforce: without a job, how can you afford a suit? But without a suit, how can you get a job?

Shortly after Dress for Success Cincinnati was founded, we became well-known for providing suits to disadvantaged women returning to or entering the workforce. Although our mission has expanded, the suiting program remains a crucial part of our work and a vital first-step in a woman’s journey toward self-sufficiency.

Each Dress for Success Cincinnati client receives one suit when she has a job interview and additional work-appropriate apparel when she becomes employed.

Many Dress for Success affiliates provide more than just a suit and, when available, supply the women they serve with other pieces of clothing and accessories such as scarves, jewelry or other interview-appropriate items. Our goal is for each woman to leave Dress for Success Cincinnati with a complete outfit that will help her land a job.

After a client finds work, she can return to Dress for Success Cincinnati for her employment suiting, during which we attempt to provide her with enough additional apparel to mix and match for a week’s worth of outfits.

Women come to Dress for Success Cincinnati by referral only from a range of non-profit organizations. Each client works one-on-one with a highly trained volunteer Personal Shopper. These volunteers help our clients select professional attire and also provide support and encouragement as the women prepare for their upcoming interviews. Click here to refer a client to the Dress for Success Cincinnati Suiting program.

Every woman who comes to Dress for Success Cincinnati is treated with dignity and respect and can walk through our doors feeling confident and welcome. We focus on helping each woman prepare for the journey ahead of her. Our concern is not where our clients have been but rather where they are going.

Much of the clothing we distribute comes from women who donate to Dress for Success Cincinnati in order to help another woman succeed. Visit the Donate Clothing page at www.dfscincy.org/donateclothing to share your professional apparel with someone striving to emerge from poverty.