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Albert Han

Neon signs, clothing racks fashioned out of ladders, hand-painted murals: welcome to 1ofaKind, Hong Kong’s new second-hand clothing shop, which is on a mission to help the city’s street sleepers.
“The world can be a depressing place these days,” says Jeff Rotmeyer, the Canadian founder and chief executive of ImpactHK, the non-governmental organisation that launched the shop this month. “It’s our goal to create some hope for the future.”
Located in Jordan, 1ofaKind not only employs homeless people and gives all proceeds to charity, it also doubles as a community centre.
Hong Kong had 1,127 registered street sleepers in 2018, according to government data. Registered as a charity in 2017, ImpactHKoffers temporary shelter, necessities and even laundry services to those on the streets through initiatives such as its regular “Kindness Walks”.

Its latest project was conceived last year as a way to offer gainful employment to those in need, Rotmeyer says. It also makes use of clothes that would otherwise be tossed into landfills: Hong Kong produced about 340 million tonnes of textile waste a day in 2016, according to the Environmental Protection Department.
ImpactHK opened the 1,000 square foot shop with a full year of funding for rent and other expenses donated by property company Grosvenor Asia-Pacific.
The store sells new and used clothes for adults and children starting from as little as HK$20, as well as ImpactHK merchandise such as T-shirts and umbrellas emblazoned with the slogan “Kindness Matters”.
The space is also a gathering place for ImpactHK’s outreach services, and offers tea, coffee and snacks to shoppers, volunteersand anyone in need, explains Charlotte Tottenham, the organisation’s head of partnerships and development.
The locally sourced menu changes every month. In May, visitors can enjoy coffee from Hong Kong-based supplier Redback and aloo tikki, South Asian potato cakes, from a neighbourhood shop.
Instead of set prices, visitors can choose to “pay it forward” with a donation to ImpactHK’s fund for helping the homeless.
On a visit to the shop soon after it opened, 1ofaKind employee Simon Li Ying-ho was serving coffee.
“The concept is great,” says the 53-year-old, who was homeless until ImpactHK helped him get off the streets. “There are a lot of people in need, and people have got to show empathy.”




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As well as raising revenue for charity, employing street sleepers and recycling clothing that would otherwise have ended up in landfill, 1ofaKind doubles as a community centre


As well as raising revenue for charity, employing the homeless and recycling clothing, 1ofaKind doubles as a community centre.


Changemakers