Two women arrive for a job interview. One is in her best business suit with perfect pumps and armed with a matching bag. The other wears crumpled khakis and a too-large pullover. Despite what each woman says to the employer, the well-dressed person will more than likely land the job.

Local nonprofit Dress for Success Shreveport-Bossier is working to make sure women living in poverty are not held back by their lack of business attire.

“Consider the catch-22: If a woman doesn’t have a job, she can’t afford career-oriented attire, but without the right attire, she can’t secure a job. At Dress for Success Shreveport-Bossier we speak to this catch-22 by providing interviewappropriate attire to disadvantaged women in the Shreveport-Bossier community,” said Dress for Success Executive Director Arien Ragster.

Dress for Success moved to their new boutique in June. For 19 years, the organization was housed in St. Mark’s Cathedral and the basement of the Highland Center. They now have a 2,900-square-foot space on North Hearne Avenue, allowing the organization to be more visible and better serve the community, Ragster said.

The organization not only provides work attire for women looking for jobs, Dress for Success helps encourage and train women to be successful.

“We’ve identified the challenge to break the cycle of poverty is by providing long-lasting solutions and picking up where social service organizations leave off by fulfilling our mission statement, which is to promote the economic independence in the Shreveport-Bossier community by providing support,” she said.

Dress for Success Shreveport- Bossier offers four distinct programs as part of this mission:

The Confident Suiting program provides interview and employment clothing. Clients receive a complimentary business makeover from head to toe for their job interviews. Civic and social organizations volunteer as image consultants to assist clients in selecting their business attire.

The Women of the Workforce (W.O.W. Program) is a 12-week job readiness program designed to help unemployed and under-employed DFS clients gain confidence, job readiness skills, and accelerate their job search.

The Career Center provides training and job search assistance. Dress for Success’s Career Center has workstations for building resumes, searching employment opportunities and training in Microsoft Office.

The Professional Women’s Group provides job retention skills and support. The PWG Group is recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor as an innovative solution to high unemployment rates. The group meets monthly, addressing topics of professional and personal development, including workplace etiquette, health, wealth and nutrition.

An organization that serves approximately 350 clients a year – and plans to serve over 400 this year – was once a student’s dream. Law student Nancy Lublin received a $5,000 inheritance from her greatgrandfather in 1996. She decided to turn her gift into something that would continue to grow and serve her community. Lublin teamed up with three nuns, identified a need and founded Dress for Success in a Manhattan church basement. Now over 140 Dress for Success affiliates exist in 20 countries. Dress for Success Shreveport-Bossier began as a women’s closet in St. Mark’s Cathedral, supported by the church, the Highland Center and the Junior League of Shreveport-Bossier. They earned their affiliate status with Dress for Success Worldwide in 1999.

As a small nonprofit with only two employees, Dress for Success relies heavily on volunteer support. They accept clothing donations Mondays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If items are donated that are not suitable for interview or work, Dress for Success donates those to their annual clothing sale, which serves as a fund-raiser for the organization.

As Ragster and Dress for Success Shreveport-Bossier’s board of directors helped a client find clothes for an interview the next day, the client began to cry as they finished. She was filled with gratitude, Ragster said, and Ragster and the board surrounded the woman in a group hug.

“She was so appreciative of our services, and we were just as appreciative to help her.”

The crumpled khakis are now a pencil skirt, and the oversized pullover is a blazer. Disadvantaged women now have a chance, thanks to Dress for Success.

– Tara Burton

Photo by Marcus Mébes