From Colombia to Canada: How Dress for Success helped this Montreal woman gain her confidence

Adriana Garcia Cruz says an organization that provides clothing and programs for underemployed women helped her gain confidence.

Adriana Garcia Cruz beams with an infectious confidence, but it didn’t come naturally.

“I wouldn’t do this interview if I was younger and I think, like, [not] even five years ago,” she says.

Cruz’s journey began at a time of unrest in Colombia. She says while there, she and her husband lived modest lives.

But attuned to the challenges of classism, Cruz recalls wanting out.

“We didn’t live the violence in our city in Bogotá where I was with him. But we wanted, I think the thing we really wanted to do was to try to do our careers on a higher level,” she says.

Cruz immigrated to Canada in 2006 with a dream of making it as a photographer.

Though even with the financial support of loved ones, the ride wasn’t easy. While building her portfolio and studio, she struggled to find footing emotionally.

“I didn’t feel very comfortable at the beginning and when I realized that there are places where you can go only with women, I started to go and I felt more at ease,” Cruz told CTV News.

That’s when she stumbled on Dress for Success. The organization provides professional clothing and programs for underemployed women.

For Cruz, the suiting program, which includes personal styling, was the perfect fit. Through the service she was able to get the clothes she needed to meet with clients.

“To be received like that with a little interview at the beginning and to really listen to me. ‘What do you want to express? For which occasions do you need these clothes for?’ [...] It was an excellent experience,” she said.

It’s feedback that Sophie Katz-Milo has heard time and time again. As executive director, she’s seen demand on the charity’s Montreal chapter triple in less than five years.

“Many of the clients come in — whether it’s a refugee or an immigrant, somebody from the LGBTQ2S+ community, indigenous, a woman who has survived conjugal violence — many of these women don’t have the feeling of being wanted and have that self-confidence,” Katz-Milo said.

With donations and volunteers, Dress for Success has helped more than 1.3 million women internationally, while spotlighting their stories.

“I am a photographer and, you know, I don’t think I find somebody that has come to my studio and say, ‘I feel wonderful,’ or even ‘I feel OK,‘” she said.

Since learning to feel OK herself, Cruz has embarked on a new journey to help inspire confidence in other women and Montrealers.