DEADLINE EXTENDED to Fri 11th Sept
There’s still time for members to sign up for our 2026/7 collaboration with Relove Fashion, Ireland’s sustainable fashion competition for young people aged 12-19.
This collaboration is a great opportunity to raise the profile of charity retail, engage with your local community, and reduce textile waste. All you need to do provide a bag of unsellable clothes for local participants!
Please read the information below and then opt in here to take part. Please confirm your participation by Friday 11th September.
What is the benefit for your shop?
- Raise awareness of your shop’s sustainability work within your local community.
- Positive publicity: Relove Fashion attracts great media coverage and social media activity.
- Reduce textile waste by diverting unsellable clothing from recycling.
- Inspire creativity in young designers learning how to upcycle.
What’s asked of your shop?
Be a collection point
CRI will be pair applicants with a local participating shop who will provide a bag of unsellable textiles to work with.
- Your store will be notified by email by CRI when a local applicant has been paired with you.
- Applicants will be asked to contact the store by phone to arrange a suitable date and time to collect the bag of textiles.
- Applicants should ask for at least one day’s notice before collection.
- Applicants may make specific fabric requests (e.g. “denim,” “fleece,” or “red fabric”). If you’re able to accommodate these, that’s fantastic, but they understand that availability depends on your current stock and recent donations.
- The participant will bring a letter of participation (digital or printed) from Charity Retail Ireland.
We’d be grateful if you could ensure that all staff and volunteers are aware of the collaboration to avoid any confusion when students come in to collect. We will provide a printable poster for your till area to help to raise awareness.
The competition starts in September 2026 and outfits are submitted at the end of January.
Prepare a Bag of Unsellable Textiles
Pass on one of your unsellable fabric bags that are usually sent for recycling. You can include a mix of materials or try to accommodate simple requests if available.
Take Back Leftover Fabric
When participants have completed their project, they’ll return any unused textiles or scraps to your shop for recycling.
This helps close the loop and reinforces your shop’s role in sustainable fashion.
Social Media & Promotion
We will provide a range of printable posters and social media templates to participating members. You can print off posters and display them in your window and changing rooms.
Participants are encouraged to share posts about their collection and creative process. Relove Fashion will be doing the same from their platforms. Please feel free to engage, share, or repost their content, it’s a great opportunity to highlight your charity’s sustainability work!
Tags:
- @relovefashion.ie
- @charityretail.ie
- @rediscoveryctr
- #ReloveFashion
Questions or Support
For participating shops: info@charityretail.ie
For Relove Fashion queries: communications@rediscoverycentre.ie