No Wrong Door – Perfect Partnerships

12th December 2024

Preloved Clothing: Supporting Families and Championing Sustainability

Glasgow’s No Wrong Door Network is a growing collective of service providers and third-sector organisations dedicated to creating a better, more connected system for families experiencing poverty. A key part of championing a No Wrong Door approach is working collaboratively to get the best results. We are delighted to showcase the successful partnership of ApparelXchange and Merry-Go-Round, pooling resources to provide 450 children with preloved clothing funded by Glasgow City Council’s Tackling Poverty Fund.

In the beginning…

“The Preloved Initiative was created with a primary goal: to assist families who often slip through the gaps of traditional support systems. This includes families who may not qualify for free clothing grants, those who are employed but still earn a low income, and individuals with no recourse to public funds. Additionally, we aim to support families who, despite receiving some form of assistance, still struggle to provide the basic necessities for their children—not only for school but also for sports, gym classes, or simply playing with friends.

– Kirsty Whiteside, Workstream Lead for No Wrong Door, was looking for organisations that could deliver a city-wide solution to provide clothing for children who may not have qualified for other grants.

“With funding from Glasgow City Council’s Tackling Poverty Fund, we trialled a targeted approach to distributing clothing. By removing rigid criteria and making the process simple and flexible, the Preloved Initiative empowered families to access high-quality, sustainable clothing.”

The Partners

Led by ApparelXchange and supported by Merry-Go-Round, the Preloved Initiative offered high-quality, pre-loved clothing for children aged 0–18. Families were given up to £100 per child to spend flexibly between the ApparelXchange website, stores, or Merry-Go-Round using an e-voucher, allowing them to choose clothing that best suited their needs. This included winter coats, sports clothes, and even Halloween costumes!

ApparelXchange CIC was established in 2018 by Izzie Eriksen, a mother of two who experienced first-hand the huge volume of clothing waste generated from school uniforms. This inspired her to set up ApparelXchange, which combines sharing knowledge and enabling people to take responsibility and action for the clothing they use.

They aim to create a sustainable clothing system for young people integrated into every community. They hope to disrupt traditional retail formats by showing that preloved items can benefit both the planet and their customers’ pockets. In addition to selling their preloved clothes, ApparelXchange offers repair skills workshops to educate the local community on basic sewing skills for mending their clothes.

Merry-Go-Round was founded in 2012 by Sam Moir in a similar vein when she became a mother and realised how quickly babies grow and shed their old clothes and toys. The Southside Merry-Go-Round shop opened to offer high-quality children’s goods at a low price. They also donate to families in need and offer a range of classes, many of which are free.

By working in partnership, both enterprises were able to deliver a city-wide clothing service that neither could have achieved independently. Glasgow City Council found value in a solution that addressed child poverty and contributed to their net zero objective.

Glasgow City Council employees were encouraged to participate by donating clothing to the initiative in the lead-up to Christmas. This effort resulted in numerous donations, which helped raise awareness of the enterprises, their mission, and the cultural shift towards sustainable clothing.

The Results

The demand for Preloved was overwhelming, and all funding was spent three months before the project was due to end. Families across Glasgow benefitted from the service, and many expressed gratitude for its direct impact on their lives.

“Thank you so much. I have three children. They all now have what they need for school and the holidays.” A parent who used the initiative

This feedback underscores the importance of initiatives like Preloved, which provided immediate relief while supporting longer-term sustainability goals.

Preloved wasn’t just about supporting families—it also championed sustainability. By promoting the reuse of clothing, the initiative:

• Saved thousands of kilograms of carbon through clothing reuse.
• Reduced the environmental impact of clothing waste by extending the life of quality items.
• Highlighted the value of pre-loved clothing, challenging perceptions and breaking down the stigma around second-hand items.

Izzie from ApparelXchange shared:

“Establishing this city-wide preloved clothing service has made a huge difference to so many families. We are working very closely with the Glasgow Helps team at Glasgow City Council and other departments to reach families with the most need for clothing this winter. The service provides clothing from birth, so we have sub-contracted Merry-Go-Round for ages 0–4 years. The service is a great example of how we can utilise resources in the city and the expertise of the social circular economy to contribute positively towards the huge issue of child poverty.”

Kirsty Whiteside, Lead for No Wrong Door, reflected on the project:

“We have loved being part of this initiative, ensuring families have quality clothing that doesn’t contribute to the system of fast fashion. This project effectively showcased how we can provide targeted services delivered by No Wrong Door connections. By offering this opportunity to families identified through Glasgow Helps and our connections at Maryhill Housing, we demonstrated further the value of collaboration.

With such overwhelming demand, the need for services like Preloved is clear. Going forward, the NWD network will continue to explore opportunities to expand and build on this success, ensuring even more families can access the support they need while contributing to a greener, more sustainable future for Glasgow.”

Looking Ahead

Do you have an example of a perfect partnership you’d like to share? Email susan.robertson@gcvs.org.uk with your stories.

Do you have a sustainable project in mind? Applications are open now for Glasgow City Council’s LEZ Community Support Fund.

The use of LEZ funds for project support provides an opportunity to maximise the environmental, health, social and community benefits of the LEZ and allow for funding to be provided to groups and organisations which can deliver complementary projects across the city. Through this fund, project support will be available between the value of £20,000 and £50,000 per project. The deadline for submission is Friday, 31st January 2025.

Find out more and apply here.