Back-to-School Clothing Package appeal

Aim

Help us provide high-quality, preloved, kids’ clothing to families challenged by cost of living increases.

Clothes for school kids

Dressed well, kids can go to school confident and ready to learn; they can socialise and enjoy time with friends; they can participate in sports and other activities that support their wellbeing. Please help us provide free, fashionable, kids’ clothing packages for families in need across the city of Glasgow. Families complete forms giving as much detail as possible about their kids’ size, clothing preferences, activities and interests so that ApparelXchange can create bespoke packages for each child, including uniforms, warm coats, shoes, and sportswear.

How it began

ApparelXchange was established in 2018 by Founding Director Izzie Eriksen, a parent of school-aged children who was motivated by what she saw to address the crisis of waste in children’s clothing, and the rising financial pressures on families. Izzie created the Community Interest Company to collect donations of gently-worn clothes, footwear and accessories for re-sale at affordable and accessible prices, to reduce the impact of clothing on our planet while shifting consumer behaviour through knowledge and empowerment. We are the largest provider of preloved children’s clothing in Glasgow, known by many for our lovely boutique shop in Glasgow’s southside, our online retail operation, and our city centre warehouse sales. From the very beginning, we have collaborated with our key partner Glasgow City Parents Group each year to provide packages to families affected by the cost of living – among the most vulnerable in our community; we now work with a range of social partner organisations to maximise our reach.  

Our back-to-school clothing appeal

We want all kids to return to school in high-quality, comfortable clothes which express their individuality, while minimising the impact of clothing production on the environment. When we ran our free clothing packages last summer, demand massively outstripped supply. While we were immensely proud to have provided over 2096 garments to 207 families last summer, we had to stop taking new referrals after only two weeks – we just didn’t have the staff capacity or stock.

This year our target is £12,000, which will provide more than 3800 items of clothing custom-packaged for 480 individual kids. 

This is where you come in. Our packages not only give families in need the dignity of clothing their children well; it also means they are participating in a solution which reduces our impact on the climate. If you would like to help kids enjoy a happy return to school while supporting planet-friendly fashion, then please donate what you can.

As a wee thank-you for donating, please accept a voucher for 25% off a shop at our southside shop, warehouse, or online. And spread the word - thank you!

How else can you help?

• Donate pre-loved clothing to our shop or city centre location, more details on our website www.apparelxchange.co.uk
• Shop with us at 65 Nithsdale Street, Glasgow: your purchases cover our costs, local employment, a circular economy and allow us to grow sustainably. 
• Shop with us online at www.apparelxchange.co.uk, and invite your friends to do the same – we ship UK-wide!
• Come and volunteer at our warehouse to prepare packages – contact [email protected]
• Consider offering corporate sponsorship – contact [email protected]

This project successfully funded on 6th August 2023