DAPP UK is a charity shop based on Market Street in Leicester city centre. But not just any charity shop. By selling second-hand clothes they’re creating funds directly used to develop and promote sustainable ways of living.
We caught up with them for this week’s BID Spotlight to find out more. Be sure to pop in next time you’re in town, you never know what treasures you might find on the rails.
How would you describe DAPP to someone who’s never visited?
We are a charity founded in 2007, which aims is to provide support and development projects focused on the relief of poverty, education and development of the poorer populations. By selling second-hand clothes we are creating funds for development and promoting a sustainable way of living and of shopping. Our ambition is that shopping second hand will become more popular over the years, and that people will be conscious of the damage that fast fashion causes to the environment.
What sets DAPP apart from other local charity shops?
Uniqueness. In our shops, customers are offered with the opportunity to find unique pieces from vintage to trendy pieces. With the help of our staff, customers can find items which are currently trendy, sportswear, shoes, and some also with brand new with original tags.
New stock: New pieces are added daily in the shop so that customers can find new items in after their recent visits to the shop.
Presentation: We always make sure that clothes are well organised and placed into separate categories in order to facilitate customers journey throughout the shop.
We have displaying rails where we place trendy pieces or items which are are similar to those displayed in the windows as well.
Importance of quality: We make sure that the items put in the shop floor are in good condition without any defects.
Atmosphere: Music also plays a good part in our shop. We want customers to enter our shop and be entertain by listening to a mix of songs that they can sing-a-long with us.
Friendly staff Having a friendly team also is part of our principles of out charity in which customers can reply with their enquiries.
Sale area: This is a section that it can only be found in our charity. In this area, customers can find pieces at a reasonable price. There is the 2 for £5 rail, the £2 rails and a basket with items sold at £1.
Social media: We daily create social media content where people can see the best pieces that our shops put into their stores or our outfits created by our staff.
We share with them our monthly window displays; photoshoots taken with our kindest volunteers.
Why is slow fashion so important in these current times?
The damage that fast fashion has been causing to the environment is particularly worrying and damaging. By making people buy second-hand clothes, we are helping the environment by reducing waste, minimising water consumption and avoiding clothes to end in landfills.
Quality and changing habits in purchasing cheap items are the main principles that must be followed in order to ditch fast fashion and promote slow fashion.
How many times a desired piece can be worn? – or will it be possible for that desired piece to be found in a charity-second hand shop are the questions that people should be reminded before going to high street stores. Promoting slow fashion also helps shops like us to help others by donating our funds to our activities based on helping the most disadvantage.
Tell us about some of the projects that DAPP has supported recently?
One of the projects that we are currently supporting is Farmers’ Clubs Gutu in Zimbawe in which the main aim is to provide training sessions, demonstrations and workshops to a small group of farmers (1000)which enhanced their organizational and productive capacities. The project leaders encouraged farmers to adopt diversified farming and adding high value crops either under garden or field production. Within their clubs, the 1000 smallholder farmers were trained on various topics which included, among others, conservation farming, crop diversification, pest and disease control and marketing.
Another project is called The Academy for Working Children.
Since 2001, the Academy for Working Children program is striving to provide education to the children of migrant families, who have either never been to school or are school drop outs, thereby ensuring that the underprivileged children get an opportunity for basic education and thereby, providing them a tool to move out of the poverty trap.
In addition to the primary objective of providing basic education to children, the Academy also conducts special computer training courses for youth, thereby equipping them with the skill set required for various government and private jobs.
What sort of things do you accept as donations?
We are accepting clothes mainly, but also jewellery and accessories,
What is the easiest way for people to make a donation?
We have a donation box at the till where customers usually leave a donation after purchase.
In addition, donations can be made by accessing to our website and follow the DONATE NOW link on the MENU in our home page.
Where can people find out more information?
More information can be found in our website: https://www.dappuk.org
In there, people can find information about our charity, the location of our shops (online as well) and how to get involved by volunteering with us.
We also have an Instagram where people can be updated of the recent items that we share.
DAPP UK is located at 9 Market Street, LE1.
Our BID Spotlight features are brought to you in collaboration with BID Leicester.
