The Empty Shop, a unique charitable concept, which puts a novel spin on the the traditional clothing drive, will return to Manchester in 2015. For those who don’t know what the Empty Shop is, it works on the principle that the public “bring clothes to the shop instead of taking them from the shop”, according to the promotional video from the company behind the original idea.

The Empty Shop was a tremendous success earlier this year and Mustard Tree is very proud to be involved once again in such a great scheme. It will stand in Exchange Square in Manchester Arndale from Friday 23 January to Sunday 1 February, with an exclusive launch on Thursday 22 January. It will follow the same opening times as the shopping centre, only this time we will have a much bigger space.

We’re asking people to come along and donate their pre-loved clothes, which will then be displayed by the shop’s team of stylist before being sold within Mustard Tree shops and distributed to those in need.

Adrian Nottingham, CEO of Mustard Tree said “The Empty Shop was a fantastic project to be part of at the start of 2014 and we are very excited to be part of the initiative again a second time round. We were able to connect with people we may never otherwise have reached, and raising 2 tons of clothes is a remarkable amount. For the majority of us, being able to share what we do with others and witnessing their positive reactions reinforced why we do what we do – creating choice and opportunity for people who are homeless and marginalised”

Mancunians really showed their generosity last time. In 2014, 2 tonnes of clothing were donated over the 10 days. Clothes were generously gifted from 20 brands, 25 businesses and 265 individual donors including over 1,000 garments from one brand! In total, 7,550 garments were donated because of the event. It was also recognised with two awards, winning both the Best Community Relations and overall Golden Apple at the 2014 Purple Apple Awards.

There will be plenty of local celebrities getting involved in the cause this year, whose names will be announced nearer to the date. The store itself will be entirely manned by Freedom Project participants and corporate friends of Mustard Tree such as; FireCask, ThoughtWorks, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Turley Associates, Manchester City Council, Eastlands Homes and City West Housing who will help raise awareness of the ongoing issues that those in need face every day.

A novel approach to giving to charity, the concept is very simple: donate; style-up; empty. People contribute their pre-loved clothing, which is then displayed by the shop’s team of stylists and fashion bloggers. At the end of the day, the clothes will be taken over to Mustard Tree, where they will be distributed to those in need, given to other charities, or sold in our shops.

So, it’s simple, really. Have a root around at home and find all the clothes that you no longer wear, don’t fit you, or you don’t like, then come along to the shop in Manchester Arndale and give them to us. We’ll do the rest.

See you in January!

If you want to keep up to date with goings-on from the shop, you can follow us on social media here:

Twitter: @EmptyShopMCR Facebook: /EmptyShopMCR Instagram: EmptyShopMCR