Thread Together exists to manage fashion excess. The best way to manage fashion excess is to clothe people in need. Thread Together is on a mission to restore dignity and hope to both people and the planet by clothing those most vulnerable in the community and fighting fashion waste in the process.

Thread Together is considered one of the Australian fashion industry’s most important chains in the fashion lifecycle. It is a not-for-profit charity responsible for accepting excess end-of-line and new clothing, shoes, and accessories from designers, manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers before redistributing them to Australians in need through a network of charities and social service agencies.

One-third of new clothing goes from factories to landfills, while one in eight adults and one in six children do not have adequate access to essential clothing. Thread Together addresses this uncomfortable truth by saving new clothing from going to landfill and providing it to people in need. They believe circumstances and disadvantages should not prevent people from accessing clothing that allows them to realise their full potential.

Thread Together provides clothing to approximately 2,500 people weekly, working with hundreds of charities.

Thread Together launched a Wardrobe and Capsule Service designed to assist women and children feeling domestic violence. Leaving a domestic violence situation rarely allows time for the victim-survivors to collect their personal belongings, and they often arrive with just the clothes on their backs. Thread Together discovered that women’s refuges provide immediate security and safety but do not always adequately meet the need for essential clothing for women who arrive with only the clothes they are wearing. While some shelters had clothing items, these were often second-hand in an old box or bag and didn’t provide a dignified solution for clothing.

Thread Together identified this gap to provide immediate clothing on arrival for women and children escaping domestic violence. Wardrobes include new underwear, socks, sleepwear, and tracksuits. The service allows people to select their own new clothes, which goes a long way toward restoring some normalcy and dignity during a very traumatic time in their lives.

Before a full-scale rollout of the program was implemented in 2022, a pilot was conducted at MacLeod Refuge on the Gold Coast. From the key learnings, a scalable wardrobe and capsule program was developed, delivering a wardrobe merchandised and replenished with a capsule of underwear, sleepwear, and loungewear.

In January 2023, Thread Together officially started implementing the ‘wardrobe and capsule’ program to close the gap in the immediate need for clothing for these women escaping domestic violence. It is doing it in a way that empowers women, providing them with access to a capsule of brand-new clothing, providing dignity and choice on arrival.

Thread Together is committed to installing wardrobes in 100 women’s refuges. It identified women’s shelters across the country that would benefit from this service and progressively approached these shelters to solicit their interest.

To carry out this program, Thread Together partnered with women’s shelters, charities, and communities on the ground, as well as Thread Together’s internal team and volunteers. The program required collaboration with women’s shelters through several key aspects.

Thread Together collaborated with organisations and communities on the ground. Their partnership with women’s shelters demonstrates the power of collaboration in addressing complex social issues and achieving a greater impact.

Thread Together developed a deeper understanding of the specific needs of the community they were serving.  They recognised that providing clothing is a basic necessity but also understood the unique challenges faced by women escaping domestic violence and the inherent gaps in the service provided by women’s shelters. Tailoring their service to meet these specific needs ensured a more meaningful impact.

Thread Together’s commitment to establishing ongoing partnerships with women’s shelters ensures that support is sustained over time.  Caseworkers regularly replenish the wardrobes when the stock is depleted. This long-term approach is essential for addressing complex social issues and creating lasting change.

Within the first 12 months of the program officially launching, Thread Together’s wardrobe and capsule program has been in 100 women’s refuges across the country.

The outcomes of the program close the gap of the immediacy of the need for clothes for women escaping domestic violence, providing immediate access to brand-new clothes for women on arrival at the shelter. The program emphasises the importance of empowering women to make their own choices.

The program is founded on principles of dignity and respect, recognising that clothing plays a significant role in how individuals perceive themselves and are perceived by others.  By offering a capsule of brand-new clothes in a dignified manner, Thread Together and the women’s shelters affirm the inherent worth and value of the women they serve, helping to restore a sense of dignity that may have been eroded by experiences of domestic violence.

Thread Together’s collaboration with women’s shelters goes beyond providing clothing. It represents a holistic approach to supporting survivors of domestic violence by addressing a fundamental need while also connecting them to additional resources and services that can aid in their journey toward healing and independence.

By establishing ongoing partnerships with more than 100 women’s shelters, Thread Together’s program ensures that support is not just temporary but sustained over time. This long-term commitment demonstrates a genuine dedication to making a meaningful difference in the lives of domestic violence survivors, contributing to their long-term wellbeing and resilience.

Given the impact, there is significant interest in expanding this service, and planning is underway to install this service in another 100 shelters across the country.  In the lead-up to International Women’s Day 2024, Thread Together announced the expansion of the service into another 100 shelters.

To find out more about Thread Together, visit threadtogether.org