Boutique Clothing Store Seeks Donations To Help Women In Need

The women’s boutique clothing franchise fab’rik is celebrating its 16th anniversary by starting a nationwide initiative to collect 16,000 clothing donations that will dress 1,600 women who have escaped human trafficking. Through their non-profit arm, free fab’rik, the boutique is also aiming to raise $16,000 that will fund 200 free shopping sprees for women in need.

While this month-long Closet Cleanout Challenge specifically helps women who are victims of human trafficking, free fab’rik’s mission also includes helping women who have survived domestic violence, addiction, or other hardships by providing them with trendy, high-quality clothes. Dana Spinola, CEO and founder of fab’rik, believes that every single woman should be able to feel valued, beautiful, and celebrated. This core belief is what drives the entire fab’rik business.

“We’re challenging our customers nationwide to clean out their closets to help dress women who have bravely left the streets with nothing but the clothes on their backs,” said Spinola.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, between 14,000 and 50,000 individuals are estimated to be trafficked in the United States annually. It is difficult to obtain a more exact number because trafficked individuals are typically afraid to report it. They do know that about 80% of these individuals are women and about 50% are minors.

While victims may not want to seek professional help, fab’rik believes the donations they receive will help restore women’s hope, dignity, and confidence. The experience of shopping can also create a communal atmosphere of sharing and confiding between participants that fosters a community that transcends a place to get material goods.

Not that material goods aren’t helpful for those in need. On an international level, upwards of 14.3 million tons of textiles donated by Americans help clothe families in developing nations where they can purchase goods for just pennies of their original price. In any locale, donating clothing to those in need changes all aspects of their lives.

“Every woman is priceless and deserves to feel beautiful, inside and out. Over the years, I have realized the impact clothing has on so many lives,” said Spinola.