Manchester-born social enterprise Foodinate have partnered with new clothing line Feed Apparel who will provide three hot meals to people in need across London for every item sold from Feed Apparel’s new Feed LDN range.
There are 20 items available in the range of clothing, including t-shirts and hoodies. Garments in the range are created using sustainable manufacturing techniques including full traceability of all fibres and a focus on recyclable materials.
It’s the new range from Feed Apparel, a clothing line that was started in 2018 by Patrick Sylvester, who wanted to use his experience and knowledge in the textile industry to make a difference.
Patrick Sylvester and Caroline Stevenson, the founder of Foodinate, met in 2018 and their partnership began with the launch of the Feed LDN range.
This new line of apparel aims to bring food to those in need in the UK’s capital, where a 2017 report found that 27% of citizens live in poverty. Patrick’s family is originally from India and his experiences in the country served as an inspiration for the social enterprise.
The original Feed Apparel range, Feed Classic, aims to feed a person in need in India for a whole month for every item of clothing sold. This initiative works thanks to their partnership with Feeding India, a charity focused on providing food relief to the poor.
Caroline Stevenson has spoken about the rise of poverty in the UK in previous media coverage, saying: ‘We live in the 7th richest country in the entire world, and yet so many people are going without. I wanted to create a link between the two sides of the same coin, enabling local businesses, and local people to help those in need in their own community. It’s about making a sustainable, scalable impact on a huge issue but in a really simple way.’
Foodinate shared their news of hitting the 50,000 meals donated mark in November 2018, just 10 months after reaching the 10,000 meal milestone. They have now surpassed over 70,000 meals for local people in need.
The social enterprise has gone from strength to strength since it was founded, receiving the backing of national restaurant and bar group - The Alchemist, as well as Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville’s joint catering venture, GG Events & Catering.