The Dress for Success program, a program with the goal of empowering women in the area of economic independence, is present in over 148 locations worldwide.
One of these locations is in the Quad Cities. Since its 2011 origins in the Quad Cities, over 1,500 women in the community have been aided with this program. The foundation originally began in New York City in 1997 and has grown exponentially since then.
Dress for Success Quad Cities’ mission statement is “to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.”
Regina Haddock, the founder of Dress for Success Quad Cities, was inspired to create this branch after the death of her sister, according to a local news article.
In the article, Haddock spoke about why she believes being given the proper tools for success is so important. She said, “If you’re a girl in school and you don’t have the right clothes or you’re eating government assisted food at school, everybody knows, so you start to lower your expectations for yourself.”
Senior Pleasant Valley student Emma Tews often finds herself dressing in a fashion that makes her feel comfortable in herself throughout the school day. She said, “I would say that dressing confidently and representing how I want to feel helps others make the assumption about me that I want.”
Tews’ experiences with dressing for success echo Haddock’s reasoning. “I’m also more likely to extend that desired impression with my words and actions,” said Tews.
However, she knows that her confidence is not solely found in her outfits. “I don’t think dressing nice is necessary to feel confident by any means, but for me, it helps to have my appearance enhance the impression I want to make on others.”
Creating a workforce full of independent, driven people is an important goal for those working in the Dress for Success chapter in the Quad Cities. One can visit their webpage to read impactful personal stories of women in the program, find other affiliates, donate money or volunteer.
