Glasgow fashion label has designs on ridding city of homelessness

A GLASGOW fashion label out to help end homelessness in the city has been given a cash boost by the Scottish Government.

Gerard McKenzie-Govan, founder of The Blankfaces, was one 20 initiatives to receive a share of £200,000 funding from social enterprise development agency, Firstport.

A grant of £12,500 was awarded to the business, which has given the homeless community a platform to tell their story.

Designs are developed in workshops run by fashion students alongside homeless people.

Gerard set up the enterprise in 2017, initially running ad-hoc classes by himself and engaging with people in a local shelter. He now works alongside 15 volunteers to run weekly classes for up to 20 homeless people.

The Build It award from Firstport supports social entrepreneurs who have proven their business concept and social impact, to commit to their business full time by helping to cover living costs.

Gerard said: “Our aim is to reverse social decay and change perceptions of homelessness.

“For too long people have thrown money at the issue and this hasn’t helped.

“We want to tell stories through our brand and get people thinking and talking about homelessness, at the same time as being on trend.

“People will buy our brand because it looks good and they want the item, instead of buying us out of pity.

“I see The Blankfaces becoming a global premium brand, changing perceptions throughout the world.

“The Blankfaces was just a little idea I had. It would still be a little idea if it wasn’t for Firstport.”

Josiah Lockhart, chief executive of Firstport, said: “Congratulations to Gerard and all of the individuals who successfully secured funding to progress their ideas.

“It’s fantastic to see such a diverse range of businesses supported in this latest round, proving that almost any business can be set up as a social enterprise, using profit to create positive social impact.”