BOSTON – Anthony Thompson loves to share his life experiences with young men in Boston. The fashion mentor wanted to give back to his community, so he started ” Follow Suit .”
“When I talk to a young man and I put him in front of me, I’m talking to me. I’m that same young man at 14 in that chair that I’m expressing to him about the pitfalls and the mistakes that he can make,” Thompson told WBZ. “We always say, when you look good, you feel good, you are going to act good. so it’s always dress for success.”
The 7-to-9-week workshop uses the promise of a free tailored suit to point kids in the right direction.
“Unfortunately, a lot of them, the first time they put on a suit, is going to a funeral and it’s because of some kind of gang violence or some kind of tragedy to another young man,” Thompson said.
The young men learn about the suit but they also learn about healthy relationships and financial literacy. When they finish, that’s where Gilbert White of The Thirds Custom Clothing comes in.