Professional women from leading Tauranga companies have come together to support Dress for Success and help female job-seekers while refreshing their own wardrobes at the same time.

Women who work in the multi-story 247 Cameron Road office building have raised $6000 for the local charity by holding a fashion show, silent auction and buying many of the second-hand designer clothes on offer.

The initiative was spearheaded by law firm Cooney Lees Morgan and supported by their fellow female office tenants from Bayleys/Eves, Aurecon, Baker Tilly Staples Rodway, KPMG and ANZ who all raided their wardrobes to donate items that were collectively worth tens of thousands of dollars.

“We had a lot of second-hand designer clothes from Trelise Cooper, Repertoire and Blakchaos,” says CLM marketing manager Kay George.

“We were also lucky to have about 30 brand new items donated from Auckland-based designer JoJo Ross, who is the sister of one of our Associates, and new and sample garments from Mount-based clothing brand Marle.”

Kay says CLM’s sustainability committee came up with the idea to help recycle un-used office attire while supporting a worthy charity at the same time.

“Not only does Dress for Success help provide professional-looking clothing for women who otherwise couldn’t afford it, they also help them upskill, prepare their CVs and coach them through the job interview process. We’re delighted to able to donate such a huge quantity of clothing to them, but also $6000 in cash as well.”

Dress for Success BOP organiser Ans Hoyle says 15-20 local women seek help from the charity every month which offers one-on-one coaching and a range of comprehensive courses.

“As a non-for-profit-charity, we are reliant on both financial and clothing donations to ensure we can deliver to our clients the best possible quality garments alongside training and self-development tools.

“Without such donations, we simply would not be able to provide a high-quality service to clients and the wider community. In practical terms, financial assistance helps to pay for rent and utilities… all of this results in us being able to empower our clients to achieve economic independence by providing a network of professional attire and personal skills to help them thrive in work and life.”

Ans is “delighted and truly humbled” by the generosity shown at the Cooney Lees Morgan fundraising event.

She says the warm reception allowed her to talk freely about the charity’s aims but was also a great example of sustainability and how social, economic and environmental values can combine to improve long-term outcomes.

Kay says the fundraiser was such a success, people are already asking for it to become an annual event.

“Many women in this building have good business clothes they just don’t wear anymore. So it was great to have the opportunity to pass high quality items on to other people. We had racks of clothes for sale for $10-$120 and it was an absolute frenzy! Some of those items would sell for over $500 new.”

CLM was also grateful to Sisters & Co who donated earrings for the silent auction, Wendy’s who supplied a designer bag and Cherrywood Shoes who donated high-end boots.

Designer brand, Ruby, donated a popular pair of trousers, and numerous local businesses helped stage the event such as Kex Catering, Tauranga Party Hire, Johns Photo Pharmacy and Le Reve products.

“It was wonderful to see so many local women and businesses come together to support Dress for Success, and the support shown for those women who were brave enough to be models for the night. They are everyday women who just wanted to have a bit of fun and they made the whole night spectacular.”