Serendipities Collaboration
Uppertunity knocks – Wilde Mode to collaborate with social support café enterprise
At Wilde Mode we literally work our socks off to go the extra distance to be a sustainable, inclusive and ethical clothing brand that helps to empower those marginalised by society, quite literally, from the bottom up. We do this because we love it and empowering people is at the heart of what we stand for.
We lovingly make colourful and ethical, vegan and gender-and size-inclusive products, from our signature underwear to bespoke designs, supporting and celebrating our core customers from the LGBT community and people with chronic and mental illnesses.
Our founder, Deborah Breen, strongly believes that, “Loving your body, starts with your internal dialogue with yourself and therefore our products empower our customers and never belittle them.”
Therefore with this ethos in mind, we are delighted to announce a new collaboration with Uppertunity - a Community Interest Company (also known as a non-profit social enterprise), working with individuals (16+) with learning disabilities, autism and mental health barriers.
Who are Uppertunity?
Uppertunity focusses on an individual’s strengths and aspirations, then works with them to realise their potential, leading to self-worth and independence. They do this through creative workshops, group and community work, mentoring, skill development programmes, meaningful volunteering roles, jobs and social events.
New Serendipities Café
Serendipities is the café of Uppertunity, where they provide a safe training space for individuals with additional needs. The café is a cosy, quirky hub, dedicated to creating and inspiring social change. Run by a mixture of volunteers and core staff, they believe in equality for all, and everything that they do is to help build socially and environmentally sustainable communities.
The café serves a selection of delicious homemade vegan sweet and savoury foods, as well as responsibly sourced hot drinks. 100% of their profits go towards developing the skills, confidence and self-worth of the members of their community, specifically individuals with learning disabilities, autism and mental health barriers.
View their menu here.
Why collaborate?
Both Wilde Mode and Uppertunity share the same ethos of empowerment and inclusivity. The café is also vegan and cruelty free, both fundamental pillars of the Wilde Mode brand. They also share the commitment to sustainability and doing everything they can to fight climate change.
Tasty start
The collaboration is starting with a sponsored menu, which will be a platform for sharing both our stories and to support each other, helping to empower more people. Uppertunity are also making good use of our scrap fabrics in their art groups – so nothing is ever wasted!
The Founders
Danielle Gaffney du Plooy, Manager of Uppertunity and our very own Wilde Mode founder Deborah Breen also share a lot in common with their personal journeys. Both have battled with depression and deprived backgrounds, fuelling their fire to support others who may be suffering at some point in their lives.
Read Deborah’s story here.
“The start of a beautiful project”
Danielle comments; “We have both been on a journey of bumps, hills and mountains, and both want to support and empower others on their journey. I believe Uppertunity and Wilde Mode have strong foundations, and together, we can create further ripples of empowerment. Both organisations are people, community and environmentally led. By working together, we can better ourselves as organisations, and build towards sustainability. This is just the start of a beautiful project.”
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Wilde Mode is so much more than just a great pair of pants - it’s a safe space, a reassuring hug and a feeling of belonging. We think Serendipities is the embodiment of our brand values, with great coffee and cake too!
To pay Serendipities a visit head to –
Serendipities Café, 12 Union Street, Dundee DD1 4BH
To find out more visit www.uppertunity.org.uk or email serendipities@uppertunity.co.uk
