Member Article

Stepping Into Christmas in Style: Meet the Manchester Business Providing Shirts for Salford's Next Generation

The festive season is all about giving something back, and after a tough year generosity seems more important than ever before. That’s why The Shirt Society, providers of quality menswear on subscription, has partnered with local charity the Salford Foundation to spread a little Christmas cheer as we round off 2020.

The Manchester-based business donated 30 high-end work shirts to the charity. The shirts will be gifted to local young people ahead of formal interviews as part of the Salford Foundation’s ‘Build Back Youth’ project, which aims to equip ‘NEET’ (not in education, employment or training) young people with new skills to bolster their employability. Ultimately, the Salford Foundation hopes to drive down youth unemployment figures in the area, which have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I’d like to thank the team at The Shirt Society for their generous donation. We’ve already given 6 of the shirts to the current cohort on our programme, ahead of upcoming interviews,” commented Tom Dwelly, Project Coordinator for the Build Back Youth Programme.

“An interview can seem daunting if you’ve never been in that scenario before, and we’ve found that providing smart clothes can go a long way towards improving the confidence of young people. The quality of the donation we received was outstanding - we rarely get such high-end clothing donated so it was great to be able to give our lads a shirt that would make them feel sharp!”

The Shirt Society has enjoyed a remarkably successful year despite the pandemic, bucking the trend within the retail space to record 200% member growth in 2020 alone. The business was backed by an investment from former North West Entrepreneur of the Year Scott Fletcher MBE, and has since seen the brand expand its product offering to include casual wear, as well as traditional formal shirts.

Matt Bird, Founder of The Shirt Society, added: ‘We love being based in Manchester, and we wanted to give something back this Christmas after what’s been a horrible year for everyone.“

“Across the country, young people have been hit the hardest by the pandemic in terms of employment, and the Salford Foundation do an amazing job in offering a helping hand to people who are struggling to find work. Their headquarters is just a short drive from ours, so the least we could do is donate a few collared shirts to help out!”

Funded by The Prince’s Trust Future Workforce Fund, the Build Back Youth programme offers tailored support for individuals living in a Salford postcode, to help them get into first-time employment. Support can range from interview techniques and CV-writing to forging connections with local businesses.

The Shirt Society is open for new member sign ups now.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Holly Wright .