Nothing can get Delhiites more excited for charity other than shopping. Really, what could be better than some retail therapy the proceeds of which go to a noble cause. The Angels Network, a group of young women, put together this fantastic two-day exhibition with both brand new and pre-loved luxury fashion items on sale. The Angels Network collected and sorted the donated items on sale and also marketed this event to raise Money for a cause they believe in. All the costs were borne by volunteers and 100 percent of the sales went to The Earth Saviours Foundation (ESF)- a home for elderly, homeless and abandoned. How wonderful, no? 

I visited the exhibition and knew it was a success as soon as I entered. Going by the excited faces of hundreds of shoppers in the hall, it was clear that they were having a blast. The shopping bags were brimming with clothes and the billing counter had a long queue of enthusiastic shoppers. I too, did my bit and bought a really cool Laptop Sleeve that says 'I MAKE BOYS CRY' (Lol), for just Rs. 200. It was a brand new piece from Ayesha Accessories and I think it is a total steal at 200 bucks. Also got myself a pretty turquoise necklace (Rs. 100) and a very colourful, recycled refrigerator handle cover (Rs. 50). 

Many of the donated items were brand new that included never-worn gifts or impulse buys that just didn't get used. For shoppers who preferred fresh clothing, the exhibition had managed to rope in some ​I​ndian designers who donated their prior season's items and dead stock. A Vintage Affaire was thus, a win-win situation for everyone!

The event was organised and put together by an amazing team of volunteers, donors and designers who are a part of The Angels Network. Monisha Daga, Co- founder, The Angels Network gives us a closer look at the initiative:

The Angels Network has never been about the individual but more about the collective. We want everyone's efforts big or small to be valued and hence credit is always given to The Angels Network.

Mandavi Sharma (also a part of The Angels Network) brought the idea to me,and we decided we would use the fantastic network and good will associated with The Angels Network to collect clothing and sell it for a good cause, on the condition that 100 percent of the sales go to Charity! And thats how A VINTAGE AFFAIRE was born.

How do you think the shoppers responded to pre-loved items?

We were both clear it was a social experiment in a culture that is not used to buying second-hand clothing, and we figured our worst case scenario was that we would we be stuck with a lot of clothes which we could distribute between the 10 charities and homes we support. We could never have anticipated the response we had.

Will it be organised periodically or it was a one time thing ?

I believe we would love to do this again, however the response and scale of the event was much larger than could have ever imagined. So unless someone lends us a storage space of some kind, it will be hard to plan ahead at this point. However we are clear it is a project we would love to take forward! 

What is the estimated amount the exhibition has generated?

The Angels Networks focus has never been money, our fund raisers are usually very small and more about getting people involved and raising awareness. Once we hand the funds over, then it will be up to The Earth Saviours Foundation to share that information as they see fit.