Suits and smart work clothes

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Suits/office wear: options that aren't the charity shop

If you have a smart suit that you no longer need, the obvious place to take it is the nearest charity shop, and there's nothing wrong with that. But there are other options. There are several charities which accept suits and other smart office-friendly clothes and give them to people who are struggling to enter the world of work. If you've just left the army, prison or the care system then having something to wear to an interview can be a real barrier. We've only tried donating suits to one such charity, but if you have experience of giving to others, please let us know.

Who will take used suits?

Suited for Success They take good quality office-appropriate clothes for men and women: jackets, shirts, skirts, trousers, shoes, etc. If you are in the Birmingham area you can drop them off directly. Otherwise you can make a postal donation via DropPoint.

Not taking/no longer taking (whatever it is)
 * Most of the tips you will get about organisations/categories of organisations taking things turn out to be incorrect, especially since Covid, but adding them here will tell people that you've followed up and got the latest info.
 * You'll probably get more false tips than real tips, so this section is usually bullet-pointed.
 * It's still helpful to add a date and source for the info that an organisation doesn't take something, because if it's been a while things might have changed and it's worth checking again.