Men’s wear retailer Men’s Wearhouse has launched its third annual National Suit Drive, aiming to help recession-hit job seekers find work.
The initiative, which lasts until the end of September at more than 1,000 locations across the US, collects used men’s and women’s suits, shirts, jackets, ties, belts and shoes.
These are then donated to about 200 local charities which help unemployed people to find a job.
Men’s Wearhouse said that, although the recession had affected a broad spectrum of the country’s workforce, 82% of job losses had happened among men, thanks to a heavy impact on industries like construction and manufacturing.
“With nearly one out of ten working-age men unemployed in this country, the economic downturn has disproportionately hurt the male workforce,” said George Zimmer, founder and CEO of Men’s Wearhouse.

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By GlobalData“By collecting and donating professional clothing, Men’s Wearhouse aims to help men ‘suit up’ for job interviews and offset the ‘mancession’.”
The aim is to donate more than 100,000 items of clothing in a month, with the company pledging to donate one dress shirt for every suit collected.