I’ll never forget the day that I decided I had to escape from my abusive partner. Anyone who has experienced an abusive relationship will tell you just how hard it is to leave: the fear that surrounds you as you plan your escape, the type that turns your legs to jelly. I had played out the thought of leaving endlessly, like a record caught on a loop - but actually leaving safely was the stuff of nightmares.
To get away, I fled the country and returned to my parents' house completely traumatised, and I went to the local Women’s Aid refuge. I was safe, but I had left so much behind - including dreams of a future I had left my previous life for and just the things I could carry in plastic bags.
I sat in a room at the refuge, surrounded by bin bags. Bags and bags of well-meaning donations. I had never felt more vulnerable, and I had incredible people there to help me pick up the pieces and put myself together again. But the clothes were ill-kept and crumpled and as I sat there the words of a lady named Ali that I had met years before rang in my ears. 'All you need is a good pair of shoes and a coat,' she once told me.
Ali and I had worked together in a restaurant and quickly became friends. She had fled from domestic abuse herself, with her young children. She told me that a good pair of shoes and a coat had kept her going, that good clothes allowed her to dress with dignity while she fought to get her head back above water. Of course, at that time, I never imagined that I would be standing in her shoes. My world was turned upside down after a whirlwind romance turned into a nightmare - and I knew at that moment I wanted to help other women who had the rug pulled out from underneath them like I did and like Ali.
The reality is that one in three women globally experience gender-related abuse in their lifetime. Many leave with little or no belongings and rely on donations as they rebuild their lives. Well-meaning donations are often passed on unwashed, in poor condition and in the bin bags they came in - further eroding dignity and self-esteem.
This is the reason that I have launched ALICAS (Ali’s coats and shoes), the first responsible clothing organisation to deliver direct social impact to people in crisis.
We’re creating clothing parcels for people in crisis, tailored to their size, style and religious or cultural needs. These capsule wardrobes are compiled from clothing that is lying unused in people’s wardrobes or destined for landfill - and rerouted to people in need through us. We have also launched an online shop selling our own sustainable wardrobe staples to enable us to sustain and fulfil orders for the many people who need our service - 25% of each purchase supports someone in a clothing crisis.
Right now, we're working with brands to put their surplus stock to good use. 300,000 tonnes of clothes go to landfills each year in the UK, and the UK’s wardrobes hold 1.6 billion unworn garments. With 5.5 million UK adults living in clothing poverty, the time to act is now.
We must stop sending perfectly good clothes to landfills, especially when so many people need access to good-quality clothing. ALICAS provides a more sustainable alternative to landfills while also delivering a much-needed service for those in clothing poverty. We are excited to be supported by designer Martine Rose and are calling on other fashion brands to give their surplus stock a new lease of life with ALICAS.
I truly believe that we’re at the beginning of a very powerful journey. We will clothe every person we are able to with dignity and confidence. It might feel like a small part of the recovery for people fleeing abuse, but the more people we can dress with a new layer of armour, the better.