Sharewear Clothing Scheme

14 million people are living in poverty in the UK, and whilst the food bank network and other organisations are providing them with food and sanitary products, people’s need for basic or specific clothing goes widely undisclosed, unreported, and unalleviated. 

At Sharewear, we operate on both a referral and an outreach basis, working closely and dynamically with a number of partner organizations to meet the clothing and bedding needs of their own service users. Having supported around 65,000 people living in clothing poverty during the last eight years from our founder city of Nottingham, we are now entering a new and exciting stage of development which has seen us open a National Processing and Distribution Centre, enabling us to expand our work on a national scale. 

Through free access to our clothing, people are able to make positive change in their own lives which in turn lifts them out of deprivation. Children who were missing out on education through lack of uniform can get back into the classroom; adults can get back into training and employment by having appropriate clothing for interviews and for the job itself; those who are cold in their own homes can stay warm and healthier; those struggling with the running costs of a washing machine can have clean changes of clothes promoting better hygiene; those who need to take up free local basic exercise like running or walking for their mental health can do so with the fundamental basic clothes and footwear needed. In emergency situations, those fleeing domestic violence with the clothes on their and their children’s backs can begin to rebuild their lives and receive the dignity and self-respect that decent clothing brings; those who are homeless or vulnerably housed can have the security that a sustainable supply of clothing brings and those seeking asylum and without access to public funds can at least be clothed.

We are now discovering a quite terrifying need for our service nationwide, leading us to partner with more and more organizations in the charity and voluntary sector across the UK. As a result of this, we are developing a social franchise model that could see satellite 'Community Sharewears' open in smaller towns and villages all over the country. 

By supporting this project through the donation of your Nectar points or otherwise, you will be contributing not just to the work of a unique charity, but also to the start of a national movement. Your funds will help us to focus our attention on areas that need development across our operations, all the time reaching more and more people who need clothing support to make positive changes in their own lives. 

We believe that, in 21st century Britain, when 350,000 tonnes of clothing goes to landfill every year from the UK alone whilst 14 million people live in poverty, nobody should have #NothingToWear, and everyone should have the #RightToClothing. Do you agree? 

Watch the trailer of our recent film Clothing Poverty: Exposed above, follow us on social media and spread the word using our key hashtags: #NothingToWear and #RightToClothing.

Thank you for your support.