AID COUTUREPRE-LOVED CLOTHING SALE The BriefAn average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year, leaving thousands of casualties. And each year, the Philippine National Red Cross receives 18 tons of donated clothes, but a good number of these are fashionable pieces that may not be appropriate for everyday wear of disaster victims. So we looked for a way to convert fashion to food, water and medicine. The IdeaAid Couture started with the thorough sorting of donated clothes and fashion finds were segregated, hauled and washed with Ariel detergent and Downy fabric conditioner. Top stylists then created ensembles which were promoted through social media, press, posters and TV. A pop-up store in the middle of a mall was set up with related design details: dressing rooms with stretchers as doors, price tags and receipts with life essential equivalents. The resurrected fashionable clothes were then displayed boutique style in a one-of-a-kind fashion sale. The ResultsIn two days, Aid Couture raised almost 600,000 pesos from clothes that would otherwise have been left rotting in Red Cross warehouses. The results amounted to 8,610 hot meals, 2,640 bottles of water, 255 medicine kits, 372 wound cleanser kits, 597 blanket and mat sets, 258 mosquito nets, 157 hygiene kits and 375 food supply packs. All these were provided to Super Typhoon Haiyan victims.
Philosophy
Find a way to convert clothing donations into food, water and medicine.
Problem
An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year, leaving thousands of casualties. And each year, the Philippine National Red Cross receives 18 tons of donated clothes, but a good number of these are fashionable pieces that may not be appropriate for everyday wear of disaster victims.
Result
Aid Couture started with the thorough sorting of donated clothes. Fashion finds were segregated, hauled and washed with Ariel detergent and Downy fabric conditioner. Top stylists then created ensembles which were promoted through social media, press, posters and TV. A pop-up store in the middle of a mall was set up with related design details: dressing rooms with stretchers as doors, price tags and receipts with life essential equivalents. The resurrected fashionable clothes were then displayed boutique style in a one-of-a-kind fashion sale. In two days, Aid Couture raised almost 600,000 pesos from clothes that would otherwise have been left rotting in Red Cross warehouses. The results amounted to 8,610 hot meals, 2,640 bottles of water, 255 medicine kits, 372 wound cleanser kits, 597 blanket and mat sets, 258 mosquito nets, 157 hygiene kits and 375 food supply packs. All these were provided to Super Typhoon Haiyan victims.