Your questions answered

We are located at Mabgate Mills, which is located at the intersection of Mabgate and Skinner Lane on the North East fringe of the city centre. From the Victoria Centre, it is a 5-10 minute walk over the roundabout, up Mabgate, turning right into Argyle Road, then left into Macaulay Street. You can find the Mills on  your left as you near the end of Macaulay Street.

There is some on-street parking on Macaulay Street which is paid for with the PayByPhone App which you would need to download before you arrive. Parking in Mabgate Mills is for permit-holders only. Free parking for up to 4 hours is available on Mabgate as well as on Dolly Lane.

Please do call and let us know if you are running late because we have other appointments.

If you are lost, don’t worry! Give us a call and we can talk through directions on the phone with you.

If you are running more than half an hour late we can’t guarantee that you will be seen as we work on an hourly appointment schedule. We would be happy to re-book you in for another day if this were to occur.

Our clothing is a mixture of brand new donated items from a range of luxury brands and high street retailers such as Hobbs, John Lewis and Evans as well as clothing donated by individuals, companies and various other organisations that run clothing drives for us. All our clothing donations are carefully sorted and only the best quality clothing is steamed and hung in our dressing room.

You will receive a complete outfit for your interview that could consist of a suit, shirt, shoes and a handbag or a skirt, blouse, jacket, tights and a pair of shoes. This outfit is yours to keep and free of charge. When you get a job you can come back to Smart Works for a second appointment and here you will receive 5-7 additional items of clothing for your working wardrobe.

Hair-styling and beauty make-overs are not part of the core Smart Works service, however our expert stylists are always on hand to offer advice around choosing the best interview outfit to suit your needs. 

For women who have not yet secured interviews, we can offer a Career Coaching session with one of our trained volunteers. This will help you to identify next steps in your job search, and give you some guidance on applications. Once you have secured an interview you can make an appointment for our Interview Preparation support, providing you with an additional coaching session and a dressing session in person or virtually.

Once one of our clients has got a job we can provide them with a selection of  items of clothing to mix and match to create their working wardrobe. 

Please note that this is usually a service for previous clients only, so please do ensure you are referred before you secure a job.

We prefer for you to come to Smart Works without your family if possible. This is your time and we want to focus solely on you. Please do speak to us if you have any concerns about this, particularly if you are struggling to find alternative childcare arrangements.

Due to the open-plan nature of our space, we would appreciate if male friends/partners could go to the cafe next door for the duration of your appointment.

If you have an item such as shoes or a jacket that you’d like to wear to your interview you can bring this and our stylists can work around the garment to find the rest of your outfit.

For your interview coaching session it’s very helpful if you have the job description for the role you are interviewing for and your CV.

No, we are unable to pay for your travel to the appointment; this is something you need to discuss with your referrer.

If you are unable to make your way to our Leeds centre, we are more than happy to conduct your appointment virtually and post clothing out to you.

No, any unemployed woman or non-binary person with an upcoming interview is entitled to access our service.

No, appointments at Smart Works are by referral only.

Each local Smart Works works with a large range of referral partners who support women back into work.

Our service is available to women and non-binary people across the UK, regardless of their distance from a Smart Works centre. All our coaching can be done over the phone or via video call by the same trained volunteers who come to our centres, and parcels of workwear can be posted to your preferred address.

We are open Monday-Friday from 9:30-4pm for donations. Please note that we can only accept women’s workwear, shoes and accessories that are in good condition and high quality. 

Please give us a call on 0113 234 6503 or email us at leeds@smartworks.org.uk. We would love to discuss a partnership with you.

We love the opportunity to speak to referrer organisations about the work we do and how we can support your clients. We can talk to your team virtually or visit in person.

Please contact us on 0113 234 6503 or email us.

Many organisations run a clothing drive on behalf of Smart Works, which is an easy and fun way to secure a large number of clothing donations and ensure that great quality clothing is put to the best possible use. Please download our clothing drive pack here. 

We are also happy to come and speak at clothing drive events, to bring to life the impact that your support has on the women who come to Smart Works. Get in touch to find out more.

Or alternatively your organisation may be interested in partaking in our annual fundraising events such as Cycle for Smart Works or a CSR volunteering day –  please download our fundraising pack here or contact us via email to discuss. 

Don’t forget, as a local charity but also having regional and national impact we make a great Charity of the Year partner. Get in touch today to find out how we can create an amazing partnership!

We are always interested in speaking to those who are looking to fundraise for Smart Works Leeds. Please download our fundraising pack here or get in touch and we can talk you through some options, we have plenty of ideas for fundraising events from sustainable fashion shows to challenge events, from dressed by the kids days to giving the gift of confidence to our clients. Or we can support you every step of the way in organising your own event for us. Please email us to find out more