Fashion Project - Fashion as a force for good

by Startacus Admin

It’s London Fashion Week and whilst we are the first ones to admit that we aren’t exactly fashion’s most dedicated followers, we are certainly not ones to shy away from the spotlight…or a challenge for that matter..   That's why we’ve been looking all around to find inspiring/startup fashion type stories which best represent the spirit of Startacus… here’s a great little discovery that we made.

Fashion Project was started just a few short years ago by two Harvard classmates and social do-gooders Anna Palmer and Christine Rizk. Their idea was a simple one…. to find a way for designer clothing to be donated to charity in such a way that its resale value (and thus the charity’s proceeds) would be more in line with the item’s actual value, rather than what someone was willing to pay for it amongst the bric-a-brac of the typical thrift store.  The pair explain the dilemma they were facing:

“Traditional thrift stores are volume businesses set up for low-quality merchandise, causing valuable designer items to be baled and shipped overseas for as little as 40 cents per pound. “

Anna and Christine’s solution to this problem was to create an online retail platform specifically dedicated to the donation and resale of womens designer clothing- a place where the Mulberry shoulder bag, Chanel Clutch, Manolo Blahniks and Burberry raincoat could stand side-by-side in an environment thoroughly conducive to the sale of high end goods…a place where fashion, could be a force for good.

Although the pair were both attending Harvard Law School when they met, their true passion lay with businesses, startups and social impact projects so their combined venture is an innovative and novel combination of the three.

So how does it work?

Imagine if you will, that you are a very fashionable person (quite the challenge as we catch a reflection of ourselves on the screen) and you have some items which you would like to donate to charity. The Fashion Project website will allow you to request a pre-paid donation bag, or print off a freepost label and then all you need to do is send the items off.  Fashion Project will then value your items and list it on their site and when it sells, they donate the majority of the proceedings (minus a $20 processing fee) to a registered charity of your choice.  You can even claim tax relief on the donation so its a win/win/win kind of situation.

We doff an imaginary cap to these ladies for their innovative and enterprising efforts to encourage a spot of charitable giving into the world of high end fashion.

If you liked hearing about Anna and Christine’s great startup idea, then we reckon you will love taking a peek at these!

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Taggled - the future of vcommerce?

Setting up a fashion website - An interview with Jo Booth

Join Startacus - the Self Start Society!

 

 

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Published on: 16th February 2014