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“Searching for a great purse for a client”: The Duchess of Sussex on a private visit to Smart Works.
@SussexRoyal
The reason I was drawn to Smart Works is that it reframes the idea of charity as community, which, for me, is incredibly important: it’s a network of women supporting and empowering other women in their professional pursuits.
“Meeting a client as she’s undergoing her fashion moment in preparation for her big interview”
@SussexRoyal
Smart Works blossomed from the desire to equip unemployed women with the tools, clothes and conviction needed to land a job interview. Clothes are donated – but it’s not just about a woman going through her closet and giving something away because she no longer needs it. It’s about looking at that special item you’re holding on to – the memory of that suit or dress that helped you achieve your dream job – and wanting to pay it forward. Not a hand-me-down, but rather a hand being held.
“Client interview prep, focusing on highlighting your skillset and knowing your worth”
@SussexRoyal
Those donated clothes make it to a Smart Works centre, where clients receive an interview outfit as a result of a session with a stylist. Next, volunteer coaches ready women for their upcoming interview. Once they score their dream job, they come back for a second outfit, to see them through until their first pay cheque. It’s the enthusiasm of the volunteers, the earnestness of the staff and, most of all, the blushing, bashful and beautiful smile that crosses a client’s face when she sees herself in the mirror, that I have found so profoundly compelling. Because in that moment, she feels special and emboldened.
“I chose this coat for a young client, and am eager to see if she liked it…it’s a yes! (And there’s that smile)”
@SussexRoyal
When you walk into a Smart Works space, you’re met with racks of clothing and an array of bags and shoes. Sometimes, however, it can be a potpourri of mismatched sizes and colours, not always the right stylistic choices or range of sizes. To help with this, I asked Marks & Spencer, John Lewis & Partners, Jigsaw and my friend, the designer Misha Nonoo, if they were willing to design a capsule collection of more classic options for a workwear wardrobe.
“Chatting with Juliet Hughes-Hallett, Smart Works chair and co-founder, about the need for additional classic handbags. Thanks, John Lewis & Partners, for creating the perfect tote (that fits a CV!)”
@SussexRoyal
Taking the idea further, many of the brands agreed to use the one-for-one model: for each item purchased by a customer, one is donated to the charity. Not only does this allow us to be a part of each other’s story, it reminds us we are in it together.
“Trying to find a special look for a client and stumbling across a few pieces that I’ve donated”
@SussexRoyal
There is often a misunderstanding about Smart Works being a makeover, a fashion show of “before and after”, where a woman is magically transformed into something better than she was before. But to label it as such would not only be inaccurate, it would be missing the point. This is not a fairy tale. In fact, if it’s a cultural reference you’re after, forget Cinderella – this is the story of Wonder Woman, ready to take on the world in her metaphorical and literal cape.
The September issue of British Vogue co-edited by HRH The Duchess of Sussex is available for digital download now on theApp Store and for Android, and on newsstands on Friday, 2nd August.
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