Client Success Stories: Meet Runa

Our clients come from all walks of life, but each story is one of strength and resilience. In this series, we celebrate some of the amazing women we’ve helped, looking back at their inspirational journeys to success.

Runa Begum, our Client of the Year at the 2020 Power of Women Awards, is a true trailblazer. She came to us after a challenging period in her life and calls her visit to Dress for Success Greater London the ‘intervention’ she needed to discover her true calling.

Runa has used her own difficult experiences to support others, securing work in the mental health field. She now hosts her own radio show, focusing on mental health, and has founded her own business, Made to be Pampered. She also speaks publicly, working as a guest lecturer at universities, where she educates others about wellbeing and holistic health. She credits Dress for Success Greater London for first giving her the confidence and encouragement to use her voice:

Dress for Success [Greater London] isn’t just about the clothes. It’s about the encouragement, being around ambitious women, being around women who support you with your goals and dreams. I now guest lecture for universities; I talk about my lived experience. Dress for Success was the first organisation that really believed in my story, and my confidence, and my talent for public speaking.

Dress for Success Greater London: A Sisterhood That Thrives

Runa acknowledges the power of sisterhood and community that’s at the heart of what we do. She recently sent us a message highlighting her gratitude and the impact of our work, and has kindly given us permission to share it here:

This thoughtful, amazing charity gave so much more than clothes. They helped me find a new passion for style and fashion – a long-forgotten hobby. The quality, attentiveness and support they provide helps marginalised women with self-confidence; they make you feel you can be and do anything, and they offer continuous support for minority women-owned businesses. They made me look and feel like a million dollars, and for that I will always be a great supporter of the charity, and for the hard work its Founder, Juanita Ingram, puts in (and for the love and care that Maria Luisa shows in her work with styling clients and fashion sense!). The charity is small but impactful, and they are driven by purpose and with passion. I found something more than fashion: I found a true tribe of sisterhood.

Watch Runa talk more about her experience in the video below. We're so inspired by her story, and we're grateful she's allowed us to share it. Runa's career and self-confidence has gone from strength to strength, and we couldn't be more proud of her achievements.

Runa credits Dress for Success Greater London for giving her the guidance and support to realise her ambitions