The Women Helping Women clothing boutique provides professional clothing to local women entering the workplace and getting back on their feet. The boutique originated from a project where an individual provided clothes to students at the University of Utah. It eventually became the boutique we know today and has helped hundreds of local women yearly.
The way you present yourself in the workplace communicates a message of ability, confidence, self-respect, and composure. The outfit and the accessories you choose to put on each morning before work are the most visible forms of self-presentation. Not to mention, the simple act of dressing for success can, in turn, make you feel like a success. In a world where first impressions (and lasting impressions) are critical, it is vital for any working woman to dress her best in a way that proclaims to the world accomplishment and success.
In Salt Lake City, the Women Helping Women clothing boutique helps local women present their best selves in the workplace through the important role proper attire plays in any office. Having well-fitted professional clothing is absolutely vital for any woman to succeed in the workplace. Without the ongoing assistance that the Women Helping Women clothing boutique provides, many local women wouldn’t be able to start their first day of work with an office-appropriate outfit.
When the COVID-19 pandemic broke headlines in March 2020, the world shut down overnight. But the Women Helping Women clothing boutique in Salt Lake City couldn’t let all its operations come to a complete halt, not while more women in our community needed help with items necessary to present their best selves to the world.
Lisa Romero, director of the Women Helping Women committee of the Junior League of Salt Lake City, shares how the committee continued to assist women entering the workforce transitioning toward self-sufficiency during the pandemic era and social distancing.
“When the shutdown started because of the pandemic, we put together hygiene kits for women in need. We would ask them their bra size and put together a kit with bras, underwear, socks, camisoles, hairdryers, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and more. We would send those directly to the referral partners to distribute to the women.”
The Women Helping Women clothing boutique provides professional clothing to local women entering the workplace and getting back on their feet. The boutique originated from a project where an individual provided clothes to students at the University of Utah. It eventually became the boutique we know today and has helped hundreds of local women yearly.
In a non-pandemic year, the women are referred to the boutique through community partners such as the YWCA, Workforce Services, and Odyssey House. The women referred to the boutique get to “shop” for nine professional work outfits, free of charge. After the women are referred to the boutique by community partners, they have up to one year to do the shopping and receive help putting together the best outfits from volunteers at the boutique.
When the in-person shopping ended in March 2020 due to the pandemic, the hygiene kits were the “star of the show” from March 2020 to June 2021. As of June 2021, the boutique is back open and running to shop for outfits again.
During this past fiscal year through the pandemic, 379 individuals were helped by Women Helping Women. Now that things are re-opening again, they expect even more women to be helped this upcoming year and beyond.
How can you contribute?
Right now, the Women Helping Women boutique is asking for you to donate your time to volunteer. There are about 12 committee members on the Women Helping Women committee of the Junior League of Salt Lake City, each with their own full-time jobs, families, and lives. To open the boutique for a shopping shift, there needs to be at least 2 volunteers. You can contribute to work a shift by signing up on www.jlslc.org. Junior League members who donate time to help at the boutique are most valuable in this operation.
