Luxury leather goods label Yu Mei has partnered with Wellington City Mission in a bid to raise $50,000 for those most in need.
The campaign called "Bags for All" will secure sponsorship for 100 Yu Mei handbags at cost to then be donated and sold at the City Mission's TaranakiSt charity store.
The bags will be sold at a considerably cheaper price than their retail value.
Yu Mei founder Jessie Wong said the idea came about when she and her colleagues returned to work after the Covid-19 lockdown.
"We were feeling quite thankful that we were in the position that we were, but realised that so many people in our community were not experiencing that same fortune, so we felt that we needed to do something as a team."
They considered making a cash donation to Wellington City Mission, but decided leveraging off the value that Yu Mei brought as a brand would make a bigger impact.
The brand will double or even triple the initial contribution businesses make through sponsorship, leaving Wellington City Mission to keep 100 per cent of the proceeds.
The op shop is one of the City Mission's largest revenue streams and Wong hoped the campaign would bring awareness and attention to the store.
"Wellingtonians are so great at doing the whole half vintage half new pieces thing and really thinking about circular wardrobes."
Wellington City Mission has partnered with unique Wellington enterprise - luxury leather goods label Yu Mei on a fundraising campaign. Photo / Supplied
The campaign's photoshoot has been completely styled with op shop clothing.
"You honestly couldn't tell, it looks like a high fashion avant-garde campaign for the time and budget they were working on", Wong said.
She hoped the campaign would become an annual event and be a blueprint for small brands to take on charitable partnerships in the future.
"We aren't in a position to donate 100 bags alone, but by rallying together as fellow businesses of all sizes we become more than the sum of our parts."
Westpac is the major sponsor of the Bags for All initiative, donating 40 bags to the cause.
Wellington City Mission Social Enterprise General Manager Jeremy Neeve said the partnership with Yu Mei was an obvious alignment.
"It recognises our shared values and speaks to the 'empowerment' and 'community' aspects of both our organisations.
"Their bags are designed to help weather people's journeys with them, which I believe fits perfectly with our own commitment to walking alongside people and families in the Wellington region.
"We're pleased to be partnering with Yu Mei for what is a contemporary and innovative collaboration for us as a charity." Says Jeremy Neeve.
The Yu Mei bags will be available for purchase alongside a selection of second-hand goods from the City Mission's Taranaki St store on Saturday, October 10.
