This year Dress For Success Auckland joins Gen Z figureheads Kiernan Shipka, Sabrina Carpenter, Lil Nas X and Brooklyn Beckham in reaching a significant milestone: turning 25. 

As one sometimes does when approaching a quarter of a century on our mortal coil, the charity, which exists “to empower women to achieve economic independence”, is in a phase of maturation and reflection. 

By the time they blow out those 25 candles the organisation will have helped, by their estimates, over 25,000 women. Executive Manager Robyn Moore says those burgeoning numbers reflect the changing social landscape of the community they operate in, and a shift in the profile of women engaging in their services. 

“We used to be very focused on interview dressing, but now it is hardship… The domestic violence rate has really increased in New Zealand, we've got more mums returning to the workforce, more women being made redundant, losing their jobs, particularly in the hospitality industry, we've got an increase in mental health needs – it's seen a dramatic change in the profile of our clients.”

Initially the focus of the service was dressing women in preparation for job interviews, providing a complete outfit including quality new or pre-loved clothing, shoes, handbag, jewellery and makeup that is appropriate for the workplace. That is still a critical part of Dress for Success’ offering, but Moore says nowadays they have broader scope to meet a woman at her point of need. 

“That could be clothing appropriate for a court appearance, a housing appointment, a bank appointment. If we can help prepare her for those big things in her life, we hope that that will let her get a foot on the rung of the ladder and, eventually, lead to employment.”

The transformations extend wider than just the sartorial. “It really goes way beyond the dress. It's around dressing people from the inside out, giving them that confidence through clothing.”

Building confidence often takes more than a one-off dressing appointment, because, as Moore says, “women are really good at judging ourselves and putting ourselves down.” 

As such Dress For Success’ wraparound services work around a broad two year cycle. Women mostly reach out for that initial dressing experience, then are linked into the career hub, which provides one-on-one career coaching, interview practice and workshops on subjects ranging from wellbeing to financial management and imposter syndrome. 

“The first year is about confidence building, and then the second year typically, people are in employment and it's about how do you now retain that employment and grow?” Moore explains. “It's one thing to get the job, but we want you to grow and retain it. We work with two different groups of people: unemployed women and underemployed women, which are two very different groups.”

Arkie Addappa fell into that second category when she first found her way to Dress For Success in 2018. Employed as a project coordinator, she was fulfilling the responsibilities of a vacant project manager role one rung up from her, but being told she didn’t have the experience to justify the title and salary bump that would come with an official promotion. Up against the glass ceiling, she felt “like I was hitting my head, like cracking it on a wall.”

“I come from a very poor, abusive, male dominated Indian family,” she explains. “Being ambitious, sometimes it felt like the attitude was ‘you're doing fine. What's wrong with having a project coordinator job? You're earning the money, you're running the house, you're totally fine.’ For me going to those Dress For Success sessions, it was first of all expressing where I am with my journey.

“I felt like being intelligent or being ambitious was quite wrong sometimes but they have given me so much courage… It helped me detach from my current problems, but also gave me hope that it's not just me; there are many people who were in this [position] and overcame it. They always gave me hope and told me to have faith in my skills and in my abilities."

Moore says that sense of community is one of the intangible but precious benefits of their service. “Clients come to a workshop, they meet another 20 odd women, and they discover that they're not the only person that feels the way they do. There's power in that.”

Addappa feels so strongly about the community she found at Dress For Success that she sees herself a part of their family...“I want to show people and tell people we are not just a dressing organisation, we are more than that. We change lives and we build families. That's what my story is, we empower women to educate themselves and learn all these skills where we can go further and achieve success in our professional life. 

Like many of their consumers Addappa went to Dress For Success initially for a suiting appointment, but it was its career hub and workshops on things like leadership styles, bias training and personal branding that really helped her work through the frustrating obstacles that may arise during a search for employment.

“I learnt that diplomacy is something which takes you far. Hard work is not everything, working hard doesn't get you places. It's the connections and those people representing you at different places as well.

“I was very hard working, like a bull in a field, I would just go single focused - I need to do this. I need to deliver this. But Dress For Success gave me a well-rounded approach…working is not the only thing you have to be happy in yourself first that's where all the magic comes out.

Addappa went on to pursue a position at a new employer, Foodstuffs, where she helped to build the biggest distribution centre in the country. Internal promotions, recognition and opportunities for growth followed, as did a reshaping of her general outlook. Years later her life looks totally different - she’s back in the job market, re-engaging with Dress For Success for help “adding wow to her resume” but also pursuing a passion for art - all spurred by what she learnt through Dress For Success.

“Going from a poor childhood and an abusive family, to fruit picking, to a six figure earning woman who is ambitious and works in the corporate world and now coming to be an emerging aspiring artist – I just feel like my definition of success has changed and evolved so much.

“When I walk into a meeting now, I'm often the only young female Asian representing. I can be that person who can empower or inspire other women that there is nothing wrong to be in a leadership role. If you are super intelligent, you don’t need to dim your light, you don't need to water down your capabilities to fit into your team or make yourself small to fit into other people's agendas. You can be fiercely smart, strong and intelligent, have a pathway and a channel – that's what I believe in.”

“We always make sure people understand that we're not about a handout, it's a hand up. A hand up is very different because a hand up is the power,” Moore says.
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The fruits of those hand ups will be in the spotlight on Saturday June 22 when the organisation holds a 25th anniversary event showcasing all the facets of their journey to empowering Auckland women over the past 25 years. 

Alongside a retrospective exhibition, a runway show and inspirational testimonials, there will be an auction to raise vital funds to ensure the services continue. A large floral painting that Addappa created after first engaging with Dress For Success, called Joy of Life, will be one of the items under the hammer. 

Moore encourages anyone who can to buy a ticket to the event, to learn more about what Dress For Success offers and how they can help them continue their work in an continually challenging charity landscape.

“It's definitely been tougher in the last two years because grants are getting tougher to get… We try to find any opportunity, whether it's through fundraising, events like our sales, recycle shop and looking for corporate partnerships, because it's absolutely imperative that our service remains free to women.

Seeking their own hand-up, Moore implores that “whether you're an organisation or an individual, you can donate, every dollar counts. We have a programme called ‘More Than a Dress’ where people can join for $40 a month. We've calculated it's around $250 to provide our service to a woman. Every $250 we get helps to make sure that we can continue to provide our service without any hindrance to women.”

Ever determined, Addappa is less concerned about how you help the organisation – she wants to talk to the why. “It's a values thing,” she says.

“We talk so much about equality, we talk about giving opportunity to women. There is so much talk, talk, talk and I think it's about time for people to walk the talk. Women’s empowerment doesn't have to be hosting a dinner on Waiheke Island, flying there in a chopper. It doesn't have to be posh, it can be as simple as sharing your story.”