Boost for charity which helps women get employment

Designer clothing worth £500,000 has been anonymously donated to an website that gives to charity.

Items from Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Prada, Givenchy and Valentino have been donated and includes more than 400 pairs of shoes worth £150,000, 150 dresses and 75 bags from some of the world’s most famous designers.

More than £6,000 worth of jewellery was also given to Thrift, an online service that helps customers to sell their second-hand clothes for charity.

Thrift describes itself as a social venture which uses technology to help charities get donations.

Clothing and accessories are put on the site for sale, with charities receiving part of the sale price. In this case the donor gave all of the proceeds to Dress For Success – a charity that supports women on their journey into the workforce by providing training and an appropriate outfit for their first interviews.

Joe Metcalfe, founder of Thrift, said: “When we received this donation, we were shocked.

“We knew that the total value would be high as the clothes were from such high-end designers, but we had no idea that they would be worth a whopping £500,000.

“It’s so exciting to be able to help this donor raise money for a cause that doesn’t have high street charity shops.

“We hope that the story of this unbelievable donation will encourage more people to donate to their second-hand clothes to the specific charity they they feel a connection to.”