Vinnies & Thread Together unite to supply new clothing to those in need

Women who arrive at a refuge in Sydney’s west are provided with more than a safe haven after fleeing domestic violence. In the hallway, just outside the communal living room, the female residents of the accommodation have free access to an overflowing wardrobe filled with fresh, unworn clothing provided by fashion brands and retailers in partnership with Thread Together.

The wardrobe is a donated IKEA Pax, custom-fitted for the space. Placed in a common area for convenience, the shelves and hanging racks are kept stocked with a variety of garments. “When women arrive, we don’t know what size they’re going to be, we don’t know their style culturally, we don’t know any of that, so having a mix gives them that choice,” says Suzy Pace, an area manager in the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW Homelessness and Housing team. “It’s just making sure we’ve got the basics right, and then they can come in and really choose what they want.”

Access to new clothing may seem like a small thing, but to women arriving at the refuge, this opportunity can bring about feelings of empowerment and independence. “A lot of women come in with absolutely nothing.” says Suzy. “Something like this, you know, it means so much … It’s the start of a new beginning feeling valued and like they’re worthy. And that’s what it gives - it gives them that dignity.”

Case Worker Anupa Shrestha says that some ladies who arrive at the refuge have never had new clothes. “They’ve been going to the Vinnies store, they’ve been wearing second-hand clothes all their life. So they were very emotional when they get the new ones.” When submitting orders from Thread Together, Anupa ensures the items are suitable for this particular refuge which is for women over 45 years of age. “Loose pants, you know like really comfortable pants, comfortable shoes … they love to have shirts, so last time when I ordered there was lots of shirts - they loved it. Each of them grabbed one.”

For the past 10 years, Thread Together have been collecting excess clothing from fashion labels to distribute to the places where it might be needed most. The collected garments are new, never-worn items that have been donated by fashion brands, which may have been sitting on the racks unsold for a few months before being replaced by the new season’s stock. When the brand decides that they’re ready to pass on these items, they get packed into boxes and donated to the Thread Together warehouse in Botany.

On arrival at the warehouse, corporate volunteer groups and community volunteers assist the Thread Together staff to sort it into categories (womens activewear leggings, mens pants, etc). It’s further sorted into sizing and stored in boxes, then the boxes are taken into the ‘picking and packing area’ where orders are fulfilled. A folding station stands off to the side for neatly packing each order into a postage bag and a hand-written note is inserted with well wishes.

Once a person has gathered what they need from the wardrobe, a case worker can then go online and order more specific items for the client which are delivered within 1-2 weeks. Jenna Nakou, Head of Marketing at Thread Together, says that it’s helpful for them to know a few details about the person so that Thread Together can customise the style of garments being sent out with each order. “The best part for us is when there are notes underneath [the order] because then the teams here, the volunteers, know what to pack. So an 85 year old woman might be a size 10, and a 16 year old girl might be a size 10, but if we don’t know who it is - [it’s a] very different selection.”

Thread Together wardrobes can now be found in over 100 refuges around the country, including five locations managed by St Vincent de Paul Society NSW across Sydney.