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Retail Apparel Group and Bendon have partnered with non-profit organisation Thread Together to create a fleet of mobile wardrobes that will travel around the country, dressing people in need. Once social distancing restrictions lift, the plan is to then get the team behind the wheel and on the road to help fellow Australians.
Currently, 13.3 per cent of Australians live below the poverty line and as a result of the devastating bushfires and the high unemployment rates due to the pandemic, it’s predicted that there will be an increase of people in need in the future. At the moment, Thread Together is helping 1500 to 2000 people a week, providing them with brand new clothes and dressing them with dignity.
“Our model is very simple. We collect end-of-line brand stock from clothing providers. With the support of volunteers, the clothes are sorted by age, gender, and purpose, and then redistributed to people in need through charities and social service agencies across Australia. I think of it as redistributive justice,” said Thread Together founder and Seafolly founder Andie Halas.
Thread Together is also in the process of building a new clothing hub in Sydney, where people can come in and be styled for a whole new wardrobe at no cost. There are currently other physical spaces in South Australia and Canberra.
“We have a new site going up on Oxford Street in Darlinghurst, which will be an amazing space for vulnerable people to come in and feel dignified, have a beautiful experience and access beautiful clothing. We’re looking to have similar experiences in Melbourne and Brisbane,” explained CEO Anthony Chesler.
“During a pandemic, incidents like domestic violence and homelessness don’t stop, so we’re concerned for the vulnerable. It’s important to get clothing to them and we’ve had to iterate our own delivery model to do so.”
Since coronavirus, Thread Together has created an “online wardrobe” to allow people the ability to access free clothing via referrals from service agencies.
“We’ve continued to receive clothing donations from our partners. Despite some of them being in hibernation, they’re still planning for a reboot and as a result, they’re forecasting what will and won’t be part of [future seasons] and we’re receiving generous donations,” said Chesler.
“We’re very grateful. We’ve got an amazing network of fashion partners who have a really strong connection and understanding of what we do.”
A diverse mix of 200 fashion retailers currently support Thread Together, including Specialty Fashion Group, Under Armour, Aje, The Iconic, Stylerunner, Noni B, General Pants, Bec and Bridge, and St Frock. As a result, Thread Together has helped clothe more than 350,000 people in need around the country.