Anslin Alapae, left, is styled by Nora Swann from Dressed in Confidence. Photo / Greg Bowker
Anslin Alapae, left, is styled by Nora Swann from Dressed in Confidence. Photo / Greg Bowker
The Herald is profiling 12 charities awarded $10,000 each from Auckland Airport’s Twelve Days of Christmas community giving tradition. Each grant is thanks to generous travellers who placed unwanted currency into moneyboxes dotted around the terminals in 2024.
There’s a saying that the most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence.
Personal stylist Nora Swann knows the truth to that and has made it her mission to help people in her community of South Auckland prepare for employment by teaching them how to dress confidently and appropriately in the workplace.
Her Dressed in Confidence team offers free workshops in schools to help youth navigate adolescence and the Mana DIC programme for school leavers and anyone seeking employment.
The workshops start with a focus on wellbeing and building self-esteem and move into practical skills such as dressing for your body type, making the most of your clothes, and dressing suitably to go to work.
Through donations of good quality clothes, attendees are provided with an outfit to wear to a job interview.
“Having clothes they look and feel good in removes embarrassment as a hurdle if they don’t have the right clothing to wear, so they can focus on the interview instead,” Swann says.
Since it was set up nine years ago, Dressed in Confidence has helped more than 3000 people with practical skills to get employment-ready.
Nikki Roma, left, is styled by Nora Swann from Dressed in Confidence. Photo / Greg Bowker
“Confidence is about overcoming the fear of inadequacy, and we build self-confidence from the inside out, replacing that false belief with a stronger sense of self to help them reach their potential,” Swann says.
“I love that I am able to serve my community doing what I love doing and see people’s ‘aha moment’ where they feel really comfortable in their own skin and know that they are good enough.”
With help from a $10,000 grant from Auckland Airport’s Twelve Days of Christmas community giving programme, Dressed in Confidence is looking to build on its workshops and start 2025 with a larger-scale event to support jobseekers in the South Auckland community.
“This will be tailored to address the unique challenges and opportunities facing jobseekers in our region,” Swann says. “Attendees will benefit from the insights of guest speakers, including experts in employment readiness, career coaches, and industry leaders who will provide practical advice on job search strategies, resume building, interview techniques, and networking skills.”
Swann wants to see the event incorporate sessions focused on personal development and understanding the evolving job market in 2025.
“Our goal is not just to prepare participants for immediate job opportunities, but to empower them with a long-term mindset for career growth,” she says.
Auckland Airport chief corporate services officer Melanie Dooney says the airport is pleased to facilitate funding to support the upcoming event and help equip people for job opportunities in 2025.
The $10,000 grant is funded from the globe moneyboxes dotted around the airport, where travellers place spare foreign currency when they are passing through.
“Auckland Airport is committed to being a good neighbour to the vibrant South Auckland community we’re proud to be a part of and this is one way we can contribute by getting behind the Dressed in Confidence team.”
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
