Haberdashery Workshop at LJCF
This spring, in preparation for the unveiling of our Haberdashery at Logansport Juvenile Correctional Facility and Dress for Success Fashion Show, we hosted a mini-workshop to introduce the space to the students. It is never to early to begin the discussion of how to dress professionally!
If you’re wondering what in the world Haberdashery means, here’s the official definition:
men's clothing and accessories.
small items used in sewing, such as buttons, zippers, and thread; notions.
Fittingly, the Logansport Haberdashery is home to a wide collection of men’s professional clothing collected from generous community donors throughout Indiana. The goal is that each student leaving the Logansport facility will be able to pick out a professional outfit to take home, equipping them with the necessaries for obtaining a job. As we know, having a sharp suit or appropriate interview attire can make all the difference in landing a job or not.
In this workshop, we discussed what it means to dress professionally. The students began to distinguish what is appropriate to wear in different work scenarios - what you would wear to an interview as a car mechanic, fast food employee. teacher, graphic designer, or salesman may vary considerably.
The most exciting portion of the workshop, however, was the opportunity to pick out a tie from the Haberdashery and practice tying several styles of knots. The students were surprised and excited to see how much a tie made a difference professionalizing in their appearance, even when wearing their crew-neck sweatshirts and collared polo uniforms.
While many students had never worn a tie before, we also had some experts in the group who already knew how to tie a basic tie and were eager to attempt some of the more difficult knots. For their hard work, the students enjoyed donuts and juice and received a certificate of their workshop completion.
