Windfall for charity as designer brand donates brand new jackets
A top fashion brand has donated stock worth £13,000 to a housing and homelessness charity to boost sales in its charity shops in the run up to Christmas.
Abandon Ship Apparel, considered amongst the UK’s top 10 streetwear brands, has donated 200 new and unworn jackets worth £65 each, to Shelter Scotland’s nationwide network of shops.
The charity will be selling the cult brand’s heavyweight bomber jackets at a fraction of their original price, for £25 each.
There are over 35 Shelter Scotland shops across Scotland and for every jacket sold, Shelter says it will be able to help between two and three households facing homelessness or bad housing through their free national helpline – potentially 500 families.
The jackets are currently available in Shelter Scotland shops across the country
Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “When Abandon Ship Apparel contacted us about this donation we were in shock.
To donate just a couple of these jackets would have been generous, but 200 is remarkable considering their value and the brand name.
“We can’t thank them enough for their generosity. The jackets are currently available in Shelter Scotland shops across the country and we encourage customers to act quickly as we expect them to sell out within days, if not hours.”
Last month hundreds of customers flocked to Shelter Scotland’s Aberdeen Union Street shop after a mystery donor left £5,000 worth of designer goods at the door.
The shop took over £1,000 in takings on the day. Shelter Scotland hopes this donation will have the same affect. Every penny raised goes towards helping homeless and badly housed people in Scotland.
Jen Fisher from Abandon Ship Apparel said: “These jackets are in great condition and have been a hit with our customers.
"A slight mix up at our factory means that the fasteners on the jackets are not the ones our designers intended, but the good news is that we’ve been able to donate them to Shelter Scotland to support their great work.
“As a brand that is based in the east end of Glasgow we see a lot of poverty and homelessness on our doorstep, so Shelter Scotland were a natural choice for the donation.
"We know that they will be able to use the funds raised to make a significant impact in people’s lives.”
Last Year Abandon Ship Apparel won the Scottish Retailer of The Year award at the Scottish Fashion Awards.
It was also nominated for Glasgow's Favourite Business and recently won Business of the Year at the Icon Awards in Glasgow.
