This Valentine’s, giving (wardrobe) space to your loved one was – and still is – the most romantic gesture

The Dutch Salvation Army ReShare and Amsterdam-based creative agency Cloudfactory encouraged (and still encourage) people to donate their clothes with their new campaign “Make Room For Love”.

The insight for the campaign came from a behavior we all recognize or experience: the couple’s battle for wardrobe space, especially in one of the most densely populated countries in Europe, where space really is a luxury. The need to make room for more and more clothes seems contradictory when, in fact, we only use 10% of the clothes we own on a regular basis. So, Cloudfactory thought Valentine’s was the perfect opportunity to tap into the two issues, with the most relevant romantic gesture, both for your partner and the planet.

“Make Room For Love” is a campaign to encourage the donation of clothes to The Salvation Army ReShare. The idea was and is to encourage people to gift a bit of space from their wardrobe to their loved one. To make space, they must of course select the clothes they don’t use anymore and donate them to ReShare. It’s a win-win situation, for ReShare and for the couples.

Unexpected

Thamar Keuning, Marketing & Communications at Leger des Heils ReShare Netherlands, says: “It’s a fun and unexpected way for us at Salvation Army ReShare to point out to people the possibility of donating clothes to us and doing something nice for their loved one at the same time. Of course, we hope that a lot of love is shown with empty shelves in the wardrobe, and therefore more beautiful clothes on our racks again.”

Cloudfactory created a series of St Valentine’s Day cards, both physical and digital, that people could actually offer their partner, the sealed promise that they will gift space in their wardrobe. Alongside the cards, the agency created an online video and a high street activation giving away cute cards to those looking for a last-minute gift in the main shopping streets of Dutch cities.

César Garcia, Creative Director, Cloudfactory, adds: ‘What we did is definitely the ultimate purpose of ReShare. The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world. Last year, we bought 60% more clothes than in the year 2000. And we wear 60% of our clothes for less than a year. Circular fashion is a must for a better world for everyone and, as always, change requires action! In the end, this is what creative activism is all about: helping brands that want to have a positive impact in the world by activating people to make those changes happen.’

Credits

Partner: The Dutch Salvation Army ReShare
Creative agency: Cloudfactory
Film production: Holy Fools
Music: MassiveMusic

ReShare: Part of The Salvation Army has been collecting old clothing and textiles for reuse for more than 135 years, has 13 stores across the Netherlands and is part of The Salvation Army ‘group’, which aids ‘all those in society who have no helper’.

Cloudfactory is an independent Amsterdam-based creative agency specialised in Brand Strategy, Brand Communications and Brand Design, helping brands unleash their creativity to provoke change and activate people. Founded in 2012, Cloudfactory has been co-creating global and European campaigns for clients like Booking.com, Heineken, Strongbow, adidas, KFC, Twitter, Johnson & Johnson, and The Salvation Army ReShare.