‘Grad should be inclusive’: How a Winnipeg organization is helping students dress for success

A Winnipeg organization is helping Grade 12 students get dressed for graduation free of charge. CTV’s Daniel Halmarson has more.

A Winnipeg organization is making sure all high school graduates are dressed for success this June.

For the past 11 years, Suit Up Winnipeg has been providing Grade 12 students with suits, shirts, ties, belts, and shoes—free of charge.

“Anybody who’s graduated and crossed that stages know that grad is an expensive time,” St. James Collegiate teacher Geret Coates told CTV News. “Grad is a milestone, grad is a rite of passage, and grad should be inclusive.”

Coates was among a group of educators at Suit Up Winnipeg on Thursday afternoon, helping students pick out their grad wear.

Diane Blankenborg, a teacher and guidance counsellor at Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate, said Suit Up Winnipeg helps break down barriers ahead of the academic milestone.

“This program allows students who have financial obstacles to be able to participate in a really big event in her life,” Blankenborg said.

Blankenborg’s colleague Marine Vermesse added the program helps parents and other family members too.

“They had that huge smile on their face. Some parents were telling us, ‘Oh, this is the first time somebody’s wearing a suit,’” Vermesse said.

Suit Up Winnipeg founder Dana Binder said she was inspired by similar programs for graduation gowns and wanted other grads-to-be to have something to wear too.

And she noted, unlike a sequined dress, a suit can be worn on several different occasions.

“Most of [the students] come here and say, ‘okay, when do I have to return it?’ And we say, ‘You don’t.’ You get to wear it to job interviews or any other festivities where you need to be a little bit more fancy,” Binder explained.

Binder and her team of volunteers have learned the ins-and-outs of suiting and know finding the perfect fit can be a transformative experience for the students.

“You see them get a little bit taller, you see the smiles come out a little bit,” Binder said. “That’s what this is all about.”

Binder said Suit Up Winnipeg accepts formalwear donations year-round, but the organization is also looking for monetary donations to help cover operating costs and expenses.

“On average, it costs about $40 to suit up a student for the year,” Binder said. “So we are really looking for some cash donations to be able to continue this for years to come.”

Binder added Suit Up Winnipeg works exclusively with schools throughout the province. She said guidance counsellors, teachers and school administrators interested in the program can still register for this year’s graduation.

All inquiries can be emailed to Suit Up Winnipeg.