DRESS TO IMPRESS
Dress To Impress is a STEM Sisters initiative addressing the fashion norms that STEM women do-follow. We aim to identify and understand what immigrants or women of colour in STEM condition themselves on professional attire and highlight the struggle related to dressing in a certain way to feel accepted and respected in a male-dominated industry. This initiative will boldly acknowledge the need for a sustainable circular fashion economy and raise awareness for environmentally-friendly alternatives to fast fashion.
Women, especially those that are from a different cultural background, still face unemployment due to the existence of inequality and discrimination that continues to be a barrier. STEM Sisters is passionate to address this issue and has developed the Dress to Impress Program in order to assist Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) STEM women. They aim to help these women in gaining their confidence back, whilst contributing to environmental sustainability by providing them with the opportunity to swap clothing and acquire quality secondhand garments.
Our vision
Did You Know?
The fast fashion industry thrives on convincing people to purchase weekly trends of new fast fashion apparel. This super-fast turnover and the linear system is unsustainable. This cycle fuelling the clothing throwaway culture has created these alarming levels of landfill waste. Without intervention, these levels will continue to rise. We must disrupt this pattern. While donating to op shops is a great way to divert from landfills, sadly, op shops can only resell about 15% of donated clothing. Plus, it is not a solution.
KEY OBJECTIVES:
challenge
To challenge the fashion norms STEM women follow to be accepted and taken seriously by the male-dominated STEM industry.
confidence
Provide affordable professional clothing (second-hand) that will assist migrant women and female international students to thrive, build confidence and take pride in their professional journey.
sustainability
To contribute to the circular economy of the fashion industry and address the sigma around donated or swapping clothes
