The Suited & Booted Centre

Who We Help, Why We Help & the Difference It Makes

What We Do

We help our clients create a positive first impression when seeking employment.

CLIENTS ARE REFERRED TO US by public agencies and charities such as Jobcentres Plus, the NHS, Crisis and London Probation when they have the offer of a job interview or work placement.

The first 30 seconds of an interview are crucial as employers make up their minds about potential candidates very quickly. Getting appearance and presentation right are vital to be seriously considered for the job.

We provide a welcoming, friendly environment where clients come in for a dressing session as well as some thoughtful advice, interview training and support.

When clients come in to be fitted, volunteers help them find a good quality suit that fits well and looks great. Clients and volunteers also work together to find the right accessories such as ties, cufflinks and shoes.

Our clients keep their suit and accessories. We can also assist when they get their new job by providing a few extras, such as shirts and ties, to support their working wardrobe.

Volunteer

Volunteering

We need volunteers for fitting our clients, assisting with the smooth running of the Wardrobe, sewing, interview training and mentoring, and administrative support.

There are six main areas of volunteering opportunities at Suited & Booted:

Fitting -as a Fitting volunteer you will assist clients to help find a suitable outfit for their job interview. To make a good fitting volunteer, you need an eye for style, excellent communication and people skills, and lots of patience and energy.

Wardrobe volunteers - as a wardrobe volunteer you play a crucial role by supporting our infrastructure and making sure that all our clothes are ready for use by being sorted, steamed, ironed, measured, hung and well presented. You need to be organized and tidy, energetic and enjoy working with clothes. 

Sewing volunteers - we need your skills to do small repairs such as sewing on buttons, repairing torn lining and hemming trousers.

Interview advisers - as an interview adviser you will assist our clients prepare for their interview by helping them present their skills in a confident manner.

Mentors - for supporting our clients with extra help for their job search.

Administration volunteers  - dealing with a variety of tasks, such as greeting clients, answering the telephone, booking in clients, responding to emails and inputting and analysing data. You need very good people skills, and a professional and flexible approach.

Clothing Donations 

Any clothes you donate, go directly to one of our clients, helping him look good, feel confident and increase his chances of a successful outcome. We need quality clothing and footwear in every size to accommodate the needs of our clients. We are desperate for shoes and larger size suits (above chest 44”) and smaller suits (chest 38”and below). We don’t have a budget for cleaning so very much appreciate that all donations are dry cleaned or freshly laundered and interview-ready when we receive them. We always need suits, shirts, ties, cufflinks and belts, and shoes. We also collect coats and warm jackets to keep our clients warm in winter. We would appreciate too any spare suit bags that you might have along with toiletries, new socks and underwear. Should you wish to donate clothing to Suited & Booted please email info@suitedbootedcentre.org.uk , or call 07808 531 654.