Believe in Yourself is collecting girls dresses to be donated by retailers to underprivileged girls this holiday season in its Holiday Dress Drive. There is power in the way we dress. And unfortunately, girls in low-income areas struggle with access to good clothing.
The dresses are brand new and never worn and Believe in Yourself announced this holiday program in a press release.
“Each season, there is so much pressure on young girls to stay in style, with very little consideration for the reality that many girls from low-income families cannot afford new clothes. Their resulting embarrassment can inhibit their ability to attend social and extracurricular actives, causing them to miss out on important milestones and further lowering their self confidence,” founder Sam Sisakhti wrote.
Founder Sam Sisakhti came up with the idea for Believe in Yourself after designers started giving him dress samples.
Believe in Yourself launched in January 2017 and visits community centers, after-school programs and low-income housing centers to offer designer dresses for girls. The foundation also offers mentorship to teach girls about body positivity. Sisakhti also runs USTrendy, a marketplace for independent designers.
The mission doesn’t end once the dresses are handed out. The foundation also keeps in touch with the girls, tracking progress.
“Dress donations are tied to the girls’ progress in achieving goals. Each girl who wants to receive a dress is entered into a system where they are then tracked to see their progress, whether towards improving their academics or pursuing an extracurricular interest such as music, dance, sports, etc. and Believe in Yourself provides the girls dresses for any upcoming events they have during the school year.”
Another positive outcome of this drive is the ability to combat bullying by giving girls confidence with new fashion.