Gemma and Marcelle Delahaye in their dress agency, Liberty's
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Bargains which help neglected children
October 09, 2008
Second-hand dress agencies are a fantastic way to recoup some of your original outlay on clothing you no longer want, while taking recycling to its logical conclusion.
But wouldn’t it be great if there was a bit more to it than that? What if you could also help others who are less fortunate as well?
This was the thinking of the three Delahaye sisters, Marcelle, Gemma and Natalie, when they set up Liberty’s dress agency in Farnham.
The shop opened a couple of months ago as an offshoot of a charity founded by Marcelle in 2004 which works to improve the lives of disadvantaged children in Belize.
Called Liberty Foundation, the charity runs a children’s home in Belize to provide a safe haven for young children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned.
Marcelle described the plight of the children and how she came to set up the charity: “Belize is a poor country and has a population of 300,000, half of whom are children.
“Of these, 39% live below the poverty line and do not have their basic needs met. There is a high level of child abuse and neglect, and Belize has the fastest growing rate of HIV in Central America. Sadly, many children are HIV positive.
“I started the charity as a result of some voluntary work I did in a children’s home in Belize.
“I came to appreciate the problems faced by children in that part of the world and one thing led to another. The charity was more of an evolution than a definite decision to do something.”
Marcelle explained that she chose the name Liberty because the philosophy behind the charity is to give children the freedom to be themselves as well as freeing them from the adversities in their lives.
“The children come to us with low self-esteem and they’re often very angry,” she said.
“We start by treating them for any diseases they have, and then we help to heal them mentally before they return to the community. We want to give them back their trust.
“We have about 40 children with us at any one time, usually aged up to about eight. We work with government bodies to find foster or adoptive homes for the children because they need to live in a secure family environment.”
The charity also runs a school and an outreach programme to benefit children in the wider community, particularly those who are disabled or have special needs.
Other projects include swimming lessons to help reduce the high number of child deaths from drowning which occur every year, and park renovation programmes to provide safe play areas for children.
Marcelle continued: “Everything we do is child-centred, whether it’s in our care of
the children to avoid the damaging effects of institutionalisation, or in the school.
“We use the teaching methods developed by Montessori and Reggio Emilia, which are child-led rather than teacher-led, and we always treat every child as an individual. We are very fortunate to have some caring and dedicated staff.”
In common with many other charities, Liberty relies solely on donations and fundraising.
It does this in Belize by carrying out market gardening and selling the produce, and in the UK, by supporters taking part in fundraising events.
Students at Frensham Heights School have also chosen Liberty to be the focus of their fundraising efforts to help with the running of the community school in Belize.
As always, money is tight and the sisters hit upon the idea of raising extra funds by providing a service that would benefit not only the charity but also anyone giving their support. Thus the dress agency was born.
As the girls had grown up in Farnham and knew the area well, it seemed like a good place to start, and they set about collecting items of clothing to stock the shop.
Where Liberty differs from other charity stores is that the owners of the clothing receive 50% of the sale price, with the remaining 50% going to the charity.
There are two advantages to this. First, it encourages people to bring clothes in because they get something back in return and, secondly, it means the shop can sell quality clothing which has real monetary value.
Marcelle continued: “So far, it has been going very well and we have had some fantastic items in. We are trying to source them from as far afield as possible, not just the Farnham area.
“For example, we have some clothes coming to us from a lady in New York. Recently, I had a chance meeting with Kate Moss, so I told her about Liberty’s and I’m hoping she might send a few things to
us.
“In fact, I am going to try to target celebrities and I’m sure some of them will be happy to help us.”
The clothes in the shop vary from nearly new to vintage, with the oldest dress currently in stock being a slinky 1920s silk number.
For the nearly new clothing, the sisters will accept high-end high street names, such as Karen Millen, Ghost and Phase Eight but not ubiquitous labels like Marks and Spencer, Next and H&M.
“People like the more expensive high street brands because they know them, but we get a lot of interest in the vintage clothing, too, especially from the art students in the town,” said Marcelle.
Many of these unique, older clothes carry top designer labels dating from the 1960s to the 1980s, such as the Mary Quant waistcoat and skirt set which is for sale at £60.
Some are quirky like the 1950s lilac lace wedding dress, but some are surprisingly fashionable too, such as the fitted Simon Massey tuxedo jacket from the 1960s, for sale at £45 and a vintage military style jacket at £34.
“Vintage clothes are terribly expensive in London, so we try to keep all the prices affordable here,” said Marcelle. “Generally, our prices start around £12 and the most expensive item at the moment is an Armani trouser suit at £285.
“But I would say our average price is between £30 and £40.”
Other desirable items which have found their way to the shop have included a couple of Chanel suits, a Chanel jacket and a Lanvin dress, and on the rails at the moment are a sequin-covered Armani jacket for £150 and a classic Gucci jacket for £125.
Shoes, bags and accessories aren’t forgotten either.
The sisters were delighted when a Chloe handbag came their way and they have just taken in a lovely shoulder bag by Kenzo.
There are also several pairs of shoes for sale, all virtually unworn, including some cream Chloe court shoes with a fashionably chunky heel and a pretty pair of Prada mules.
There are even some new slippers from Jimmy Choo selling for £150.
“Things are always changing here,” continued Marcelle. “We never know what’s coming in. We’ve just had some lovely Chloe trousers brought in, as well as a sexy Missoni halter-neck top and a fabulous Gucci chiffon blouse.
“We just aim to keep filling the shop with nice things that people will want to buy because ultimately everything we raise from the sales of these clothes will go to help the neglected, abused and under-privileged children of Belize.”
For details of Liberty’s dress agency and Liberty Found-ation, call 01252 722772 or visit www.libertyfoundation.org.uk.
Liberty’s, is at 19 East Street, Farnham, and is open from 10am to 5.30pm Tuesday to Saturday.
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