ABUSE SURVIVORS IN STYLE..NOT RAGS
yourself and retain your sense of self worth?”
Remembering Ali’s faith in the power of the smart coat and shoes, Rachel wondered if this was a gap she might be able to fill.
She said: “I started researching services providing new clothes to people in clothing crisis and found that there weren’t any.
“I also wanted to know what happens to surplus fashion. I discovered we landfill and incinerate almost half of all new clothes.”
This is where Alicas – it stands for Ali’s Coat and Shoes – comes in.
Rachel’s long-term aim is to act as a go-between, directing the fashion industry’s unsold stock to people who desperately need new clothes. In the short-term, she’s got some retailers and designers on side and is collecting new clothes with the tags still on.
An Alicas clothing box is the opposite of a random jumble of someone else’s pass-ons. This is a carefully chosen new wardrobe, full of the things that everyone needs.
Rachel said: “When we get a referral from somewhere like Women’s Aid, they fill in a detailed form. We know the woman’s age, size, what colours she wears, does she only wear trousers or does she like dresses and skirts? We want to know what makes her feel good about herself.
“Then we’ll go to our stock and pull out 30 items. It will cover everything – pyjamas, clothes you could wear to work, plus everyday wardrobe basics such as T-shirts, socks, pants. Then we wrap everything up beautifully and finish it off with a handwritten note. It’s delivered to the woman via her support worker.”
It’s still early days – Alicas have delivered two boxes so far – but Rachel hopes to speed up and distribute 300 before Christmas.
She said: “I need to see what works, what logistical problems women who might be in a refuge or temporary accommodation face. They can’t easily move clothes around, so I’m trying to make boxes as practical as possible.”
Another option might be to present the clothes in a suitcase, which is easier for women relying on public transport. Rachel said: “With every referral there are new things to learn.”
She’s is convinced that Alicas is a win-win venture, directing textiles away from landfill to people who need them.
Rachel said: “We want to give retailers a better solution for surplus stock. And it’s a basic human right to have the right clothes to wear to go about your everyday life.”
To donate to Alicas go to www.alicas.co.uk