This International Women’s Day, we are giving back and spreading joy through fashion by donating over $25,000 worth of clothing to the women-led and women-centred charity, Beyond DV.
This is a partnership that is close to our hearts. Beyond DV is a Brisbane-based charity established by Carolyn Robinson, that empowers women to rebuild after experiencing family and domestic violence.
As a brand, we are all about the philosophy of dressing to make you happy and wearing clothes that make you feel good, but unfortunately, not everyone gets to live out this philosophy. Women experiencing domestic violence are often controlled through fashion—being told what they can and can’t wear—and often leave with very little.
It is fitting then, that we can celebrate IWD through fashion, and give the women who are part of Beyond DV’s recovery programs the opportunity to pick out new outfits - ones that make them feel good!
The Boom Shankar team were lucky enough to head to a very special morning tea with the ladies of Beyond DV. With us, we brought over 1300 pieces of clothing worth more than $25,000 to give to the inspiring women who are recovering from DV situations, rebuilding their lives, reclaiming their self-confidence, and rediscovering their sense of style and identity.
Close to 100 Beyond DV clients came to the centre and were able to choose three beautiful new outfits to take home. The remaining clothes will be offered to clients who participate in Beyond DV's future Skilling Queenslanders for Work training programs.
“A lot of our women leave with not much. The cost of living is having a huge impact on what they can afford to spend money on, and they are really having to make choices. Brand new clothes are not something that can be put before food and looking after their kids, so the opportunity to see these beautiful clothes and be able to choose the clothes that they want to wear, has been just lovely. To have everyone leave here with three beautiful new outfits, they were just so excited.” - Carolyn
Rebuilding through fashion
Many women in abusive relationships don’t get to choose what they wear. Carolyn explains how the simple act of selecting and wearing clothes that they feel confident in, can help to empower women on the journey of recovery.
“We know with domestic violence and coercive control that control through fashion is something that a lot of women experience - being told what you can and can’t wear. So for our survivors to be able to say, “I like that, I’m going to choose that”, that’s a really big step for them.” - Carolyn
During the morning tea, we also spoke to DV survivor Janine about what fashion and style mean to her.
“Since I’ve been through what I’ve been through, [dressing] is all about nurturing my inner child, and my inner child loves to dress up. My favourite thing to wear is the thing that makes me feel like I’m having the most amount of fun.
How you dress is how you feel, and sometimes how you dress can make you feel so much better as well. It’s all about feeling good within yourself and allowing that to show on the outside.”
We are honoured to be able to make this donation to Beyond DV, and to play a small role in helping DV survivors to rebuild their lives by empowering women through fashion. A big thank you to the Beyond DV team for making it possible, and to all the fabulous women involved.
Watch the video
About Beyond DV
Beyond DV is a Brisbane-based charity established by teacher Carolyn Robinson after her daughter, an international fashion model and business graduate, was impacted by domestic violence.
Beyond DV empowers survivors of domestic violence to reclaim their lives. They provide support through social connection, legal support, health support, housing support and financial rebuilding. As part of the recovery process, they help women coming out of DV situations to rediscover their identity and self-confidence.
How you can help
Any and all donations are appreciated, no matter how big or small! Your donation will help Beyond DV to continue running recovery programs and services for women and children as well as educating the community about healthy and unhealthy relationships.