Gladrags is a unique, eco-minded charity providing affordable costume hire to schools, colleges, amateur and fringe arts, with an emphasis on servicing disadvantaged youth and community groups. Our hire service to professionals and the public enables us to provide subsidised costume resources that are educational, entertain communities and that support wellbeing. Our resources support city-wide events such as Pride and Youth Climate Strike. They are also shared at the heart of our community with the dress-up activities, textile craft workshops and reminiscence sessions we run, in partnership with food poverty projects in Moulsecoomb and Bevendean.
We are passionate about being an agent in the reduction of textile waste and since 1994 we have built up a stock of 8000 pre-loved items and repurposed surplus apparel based on this ethos. We encourage groups to store their costumes at Gladrags in order to share them with others and circulate recycled fabrics amongst the growing sewing community of Brighton; what we can't use we re-home responsibly, including gifting to schools and voluntary groups.
Volunteering with Gladrags is an opportunity to broaden your skill-set whilst giving to your community.
In our very busycostume store we welcome groups and individuals who want to hire our costumes for shows, education, projects and sometimes fancy dress parties. Our Front of house team help customers orient themselves around the store and look after them as needed.All our costume hires are logged using photos, and customers details are taken down. Our front of house assistant helps with this in a number of ways and tasks are tailored to the volunteer’s level of expertise. Tasks may cross over with other roles as described below. For this reason, roles may be blended, according to organisational needs as well as your skills and interest.