Suited for success

In just a few days, Ivan Wilson will pack up his dorm room essentials and move into Washington University as a freshman with dreams of becoming a lawyer. Alongside his books, laptop and bedding will be something he’s never owned before — a custom-made suit.

When Wilson slipped into it for the first time this summer, he didn’t just see a new outfit staring back at him in the mirror.

“I felt like a star,” he said.

For many students, back-to-school shopping means notebooks, backpacks and dorm supplies. For Wilson, one of the most meaningful additions to his college wardrobe came from a community determined to help him begin this next chapter with confidence.

“This is my first suit,” Wilson said. “Receiving this means there’s a community. It means I’m not alone. It means the community sees kids who don’t have the same resources as other communities, and there are people out there doing what they can to help.”

The recent KIPP St. Louis High School graduate plans to study political science before attending law school, and he already knows the suit will become one of the most valuable items he takes to campus.

“A suit is a must-have for me,” he said. “I’m definitely thinking about internships and interviews.”

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, internship experience is one of the strongest predictors of career readiness, with employers consistently valuing hands-on experience when hiring new graduates. For students like Wilson, preparing for college today means preparing for the opportunities that happen outside the classroom as much as inside it.

Wilson’s suit came through an unlikely partnership born from the EmpowerHer Tea Party, an annual leadership event founded by educator Conchita Hughes to celebrate and inspire young women while also recognizing a select group of young men who volunteer as greeters, escorts and servers.

What began with students from KIPP St. Louis High School has grown to include participants from Normandy High School, Rosati-Kain Academy and Believe Academy, creating a space where students from across the region build relationships, hear from community leaders and celebrate one another.

Hughes originally reached out hoping to secure black pants and white dress shirts for the young men volunteering at the event.

Instead, community leader Ricky Whittington partnered with David Corbett of Bespoke Apparel to provide each student with a professionally tailored suit, complete with a custom dress shirt and the student’s name stitched inside the jacket.

“I was floored,” Hughes said. “Watching those young men glow and put on clothing that had their name in it made just for them — it was amazing.”

For Hughes, the young men are selected because they’ve already demonstrated leadership.

“They are young men who have shown strong leadership,” she said. “They’re respectful. They’re responsible.”

For Whittington, the investment was about much more than clothing.

“I was one of those kids,” he said. “I know how it feels to grow up wanting to look the part but not having the resources.”

Through his Dress Up & Suit Up Workforce Initiative, Whittington has expanded that mission into a workforce development effort that goes far beyond professional attire. Hosted at Harris-Stowe State University, the initiative has distributed 1,200 custom suits, 250 pairs of athletic shoes and 100 Mac laptops, while connecting students with employers, career fairs and scholarship opportunities designed to prepare them for college and careers.

He believes a well-tailored suit does more than change a student’s appearance.

“That custom suit represents him,” Whittington said. “It represents his future. It represents opportunity.”

But perhaps the greatest gift wasn’t the suit itself. It was knowing someone believed in him before he ever stepped onto a college campus.

Next week, Wilson will unpack his belongings inside a Washington University residence hall. Somewhere between orientation, internships and his first professional interview, he’ll likely reach for the first suit he’s ever owned.

Hughes hopes to continue that investment when the third annual EmpowerHer Tea Party returns on Feb. 27, 2027, at the Phyllis Wheatley Heritage Center, with a goal of welcoming 10 schools and awarding its first student scholarship. 

For Wilson, however, the story can still be summed up in five simple words:

“It means I’m not alone.”

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