Our first session following the Easter holidays was a trip to Smart Works Newcastle. Smart Works is a non-profit charity organisation that supports women looking for employment, ushering confidence and livelihood through fashion. They offer 1:1 career and interview coaching, supply a free head-to-toe personalised outfit for interview and upon gaining employment, they gift the client a capsule wardrobe of five outfits! They provide high quality donated garments, both second hand and direct from brand HQs like END. and Barbour! They also hold multiple annual sales, maintaining circularity of garments and raising funds to fulfil the Smart Works mission.
Photograph from Smart Works Website, www.newcastle.smartworks.org.uk
Upon arriving, we filled out some personal details and were given a tour of the office space. We were introduced to Centre Manager, Helen and Social Media/Comms Lead, Samara as well as the lovely volunteers who work their magic in the wardrobe, unlocking clients’ confidence and potential through fashion. We split into pairs to complete a rotation of tasks; I teamed up with classmate, Elena.
Firstly, we went into the stock room, which was filled with bags and boxes of donated items; shirts, trousers, skirts, scarves, handbags etc. We began organising the donated items into sections. One section would be distributed to the wardrobe; the rail with these clothes would standardly be re-evaluated to confirm the quality and suitability of garments for the wardrobe. Another section would go to the festive sale, these items were characterised by usually a sparkly appearance, something maybe too informal for the workplace, but still good quality, and mustn’t be valued at less than £10 for the sale. Anything else, defected, unsuitable for work and worth less than £10 would be returned to St. Oswald’s Charity, to be given a new lease of life elsewhere and maintain sustainability. This task was so much fun, and we were amazed by the quality and style of products donated!
We were then given our own client-brief styling challenges, in which we were given a hypothetical customer; clothing and shoe size, job application and personal preferences, to curate an outfit for their hypothetical interview. I teamed up with Elena for this task, and we received the following briefs:
Client: Natalie
Age: 35
Height; 5’5”
Clothes size: 12
Role application: Cardiac physiologist
Garment preference: Mid-length, fitted dress
Colour preference: none, likes pattern.
Shoe size: 6, prefers flat heel shoes.
For our first client, we scoured the dress section for something to the clients liking. Most dresses in the wardrobe were loose-fit, which makes as a lot of women may prefer something comfortable, with a lot of coverage, that may reduce anxiety around their appearance. Out of the few fitted dresses in the wardrobe, we came across the perfect mid-length, crochet-effect number, electric blue with pops of light blue, against a black lining. For shoes, we picked out white, flat-heel ballet pumps, with a scalloped edge that matched the textured detailing and complimented the hints of lighter shades of the dress. We opted out of a belt, due to the hourglass structure of the dress on its own, but instead chose a white leather handbag, that had both handles and a cross-body strap, so not to overtake the pattern of the dress. To accessorise, we chose a thin silver necklace with star charms, matching the hardware of the handbag. We were both pleased with this outfit choice.
Client: Susan
Age: 51
Height; 5’7”
Clothes size: 18
Role application: Cleaner
Garment preference: Blazer and trousers or suit
Colour preference: Black/white/grey, dislikes pattern
Shoe size: 7, prefers flat, smart shoes
Our second client was slightly more difficult to style, as there was a limited availability of tailored clothing in size 18, with most being cropped, patterned or brightly coloured. This would be something that the staff experience in the job. In person, there would be the option to look at adjacent sizes and how they fit the customer, therefore we ended up choosing a size 20 black blazer, paired with a plain-white camisole top. We did consider styling a white dress shirt; however, we didn’t want the collar styles to clash. With our client being of an older age, we went with a plain white camisole top, that was soft on the skin and flowing to allow for comfort and breathability. We paired this with some off-white linen tailored trousers – perfect for the upcoming spring weather. For shoes, we picked a beautiful pair of black loafers that had a gold buckle detail. To accessorise, we picked a gold chain necklace to tie in the shoes. Though this styling task was more complicated, we were happy with the result.
Elena and I, with our styling task outcomes
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this outing, and I’m grateful to have learned about Smart Works and the amazing work they do, I would consider volunteering at the organisation in the future, as their values resonate with mine, and I would love to help women feel good in their outfits, as well as having fun while doing it! I do believe more people should be made aware of this organisation, as many of us hadn’t heard of it before our visit. You can access their website via www.newcastle.smartworks.org.uk where you can read more about what they do.
