The secret group of east high flyers giving to those in need
They’re not looking for credit or kudos, but this group of eastern suburbs locals are quietly making a difference and in the most significant of ways.
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Jackie Frank is flustered.
She’s answered the phone and politely too but she’s done so out of habit having completely forgotten we had teed up this time to chat.
“Ah shish kebab,” she says, clearly exasperated.
“I’m on my way to the airport.”
I offer to give her 10 minutes, tell her I’ll call her back when she’s safely ensconced in her Uber, and she’s both grateful and sweet.
“Thank you darling,” she says and she’s gone.
When I call back she answers on the first ring and she’s pure professional.
Woman knows how to maximise her time and if an interview can be squeezed into the 20 minutes it takes to catch an Uber from her eastern suburbs home to Mascot, then she will take that opportunity and maximise it 10-fold.
After more than three decades years in fashion magazines, (the vast majority of which was spent editing Marie Claire Magazine which she launched 1995), Jackie is an old-school productivity ninja. Every minute of every day, Jackie means business. And this is just one more of those minutes.
I’m calling about her passion project – that of patron of the fashion/community initiative Thread Together, a modern-day venture benefiting those in need, the environment and even Jackie herself (but more on that later).
The project is based on a partnership between high-fashion labels and mainstream clothing lines and the Thread Together group itself.
In the simplest of terms it works like this – fashion houses such as Aje, Tarocash and PE Nation, hand over their unsold stock to Thread Together which then ensures it makes its way to those in need. A lovely concept but surely not revolutionary?
Well, there’s more to it than that you see. And it’s these extra details that mean Thread Together is something of a rebel when it comes to charities – a renegade even.
Let me explain. Firstly, the clothing that Thread Together hands to those in need is well-made and well cut.
In many cases it is genuinely the very best of fashion.
It fits its new owners physically and emotionally because who are given a choice so that they, just like any regular fashion fan, may walk away with items that truly appeal to their own sense of self and style.
Also, every piece is brand spanking new. These are significantly important distinctions and should be noted, says Jackie.
“Thread Together provides new clothes only,” she says firmly.
“And new clothes means dignity.”
And in many ways it is that simple. But back to how it all comes together behind the scenes.
Every week unsold, unneeded and unwanted clothes are collected by the Thread Together team, which gathers clothing from warehouses and storerooms throughout the country. The items are then brought to a central Thread Together location in Sydney’s east, where the group’s core staff and a vast revolving community of volunteers, many of them from Sydney’s biggest corporations, sort them into sex, sizes and styles.
These items are then made available to those in need via several different systems. Those needing help can connect with Thread Together online and order outfits just like the rest of us. Scroll, click and select what you fancy. Only, if you’re a pre-approved Thread Together client there’s no option to supply your credit card – in this case, your purchases are free.
The group also offers a mobile wardrobe service, which sees specially kitted-out vans travelling Australia. Kind of like a wardrobe on wheels. Actually, exactly like one.
Thread Together has a handful of bricks and mortar stores also – its latest will open on Darlinghurst’s famed Oxford Street fashion strip later this month. Here clients can come in and browse, head to the change rooms to try items on and check whether they like what they see in the floor to ceiling mirrors.
If an item disappoints, at all, they can return it to the rack and try again – just like any regular fashion lover. There’s even a volunteer stylist to help hunt down the perfect must-have piece. Finally, there’s a fashion hub, which is open to visitors.
However, Thread Together is clearly far more than a traditional fashion shopping experience.
Once clothes are selected their new owners are safe in the knowledge they can look the part and accordingly, be judged on their talent and personalities rather than their outfits when attending job interviews.
Alternatively they dress comfortably and warmly after fleeing their homes with nothing after being subjected to violence. They can snuggle down into soft, warm, enveloping items that make them feel safe and special – sometimes for the very first time.
Fire-ravaged communities throughout the New South Wales south coast accessed Thread Together’s services recently and many made it clear to staff and volunteers the service meant more than they themselves had ever anticipated.
Not only were able to choose clothing so that they were dry and cosy after being evacuated from their homes, many of which were burnt to the ground, they had the option of items that lifted their spirits too.
Sure, dressing in new clothes will not bring back a home, nor a loved one. It won’t heal a broken heart, but it can and absolutely does help.
An outfit (or several) from Thread Together means having a soft, smooth fabric against one’s skin, curling up at night in items that feel like home, dressing of a morning in gear that reminds you that the world is a beautiful place and you, yes you, have every right to be in it.
That changes everything, says Jackie, who has been involved with the group for some three years.
“We help people get their lives back,” she says emphatically.
Andie Halas, group founding director of Thread Together could not agree more. She has seen the transformation occur and many, many times over.
“New clothes provide dignity,” she says.
“It doesn’t sound like much but when you’re living on the streets and you get to actually choose the clothing you want to wear … it means the world. It keeps you warm, sure, but it’s also the right size and it’s yours and you chose it. That’s important.
“Some people don’t have access to these things. It’s extraordinary when we live in a country like we do that people can be in this position but they can and they are. One woman said to me, ‘This is the first time I feel like I’m not in fancy dress.”
And it’s not just grown adults who benefit from the generosity of the Thread Together team.
The group also clothes youngsters and helps provide school uniforms and necessities.
“Imagine not being able to provide your child with new school shoes,” says Andie, herself a mother of three.
“For a child to have new school shoes and be able to go to school and stand next to the other students and feel proud … it means so much.”
And it’s also terrific that so many people have been so very willing to help, she says. Pearlstein Family Investments director Gary Pearlstein was one of those who provided support immediately.
“When we first floated the idea of Thread Together Gary was one of the first people to understand the vision we wanted to create,” says Andie.
“He was there to support us financially and he has been an integral player in the success of Thread Together and is still on our board today.
And there have been many, many others who have done all they can in order to see the group succeed in providing clothing to those in need. Director Monica Saunders-Weinberg, co-director Shaun Greenblo and CEO Anthony Chesler amongst others.
There is another aspect of Thread Together that everyone involved is particularly proud of.
That is that the unsold clothing collected is no longer going to cause an environmental issue.
Because you see, in Australia roughly one third of stock produced is sold. That’s right. One third. The rest languishes in warehouses before eventually becoming landfill.
It’s an open secret in the rag trade, but one few consumers are aware of.
This is an aspect of the charity that Jackie is particularly delighted by.
“Thread Together provides people with new clothes and the group collectively makes a huge difference but it is more than just that because otherwise these clothes would end up in landfill so we are also protecting the environment.”
Being involved isn’t just a selfless move for Jackie, however. Nor for Andie or any of the folk involved in this 360 initiative. Each individual is left feeling more positive about the world and those who inhabit it.
“We all want to make a difference,” says Jackie, interrupting me briefly so she can thank her Uber driver for handling her luggage.
“We want purpose in our lives, to feel good about what we do and Thread Together provides that for us … being involved makes for a much richer life. It’s selfish in some ways. It means such a lot to all of us.”