Harrogate clothing brand HGTE joins forces with coffee shop to help the homeless

A few Christmas’s ago, Sara Shaw from Harrogate, printed 25 sweatshirts with the HGTE logo on to sell in her shop and raise money for the Harrogate Homeless Project.

Fast forward just a couple of years and HGTE has raised over £14,000 for the Harrogate Homeless Project, has expanded the range and is now embarking on a new collaboration with fellow Harrogate business BrewBar.

Sara said: “I honestly thought that friends and family might buy the first batch out of kindness to me and as nice Christmas gifts but I was thrilled with the feedback and threw myself into developing the range from the one sweatshirt to what is now a range of fashion and lifestyle pieces."

Sara ran the successful Violet store in Harrogate for a number of years and her passion for well-made sustainable style is the basis for the HGTE collection.

She added: “The collection includes super quality organic cotton unisex sweatshirts, hoodies and t shirts as well as a growing accessories range including a reusable, recycled coffee cup all with a simple, easily identifiable HGTE varsity style logo."

HGTE is short for Harrogate, making the collection popular with people in the town, but the collection and the charity it supports has garnered an international fan base with pieces being posted all over the globe.

Sara explained: “When I had a shop in Harrogate I wanted to support a local charity with a percentage of the profits and arranged to go and see Harrogate Homeless Project as it was situated only a few streets away and the subject of homelessness was something I had given a lot of thought to.

“At the time my children were older teenagers and I couldn’t help but be concerned about the young men so often seen on the streets, and thinking about my own children and their friends.

"I wanted to find out more about the drivers of homelessness and was then convinced by the great long-term work that Harrogate Homeless Project do, to try to not only raise donations for them but to also raise awareness and that’s where the idea of an actual product came from – it could raise money and also be a talking point.

"The collection looks great but, more importantly it does great things.

"The aim is to support a vital local charity with a quality product that is ethical and has longevity."

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Jenni Moulson, Chair of Trustees at Harrogate Homeless Project, said: “Sara is a long time supporter of Harrogate Homeless Project and her regular donations from the sale of her beautiful product range has already made a real impact on the lives of people experiencing homelessness in the Harrogate area.

“As we mark our 30th anniversary and plan to expand our day centre services, where people can access emotional and practical support, food, GP and other healthcare services, Sara’s continuing and sustained support makes a huge difference to our charity and those we support.”

Sara added: “I was looking for a new home for the range and Simon, owner of BrewBar and a big supporter of the initiative, approached me with the offer of working together on a collection for his café.

“It is a great fit for the brand as BrewBar is situated right in the heart of a thriving residential area of Harrogate, just off the famous Stray and he has such a loyal customer base due to his teams brilliant customer service – I couldn’t say no.”

Simon Somerville-Frost, owner of BrewBar added: “Sara’s charitable endeavours both inspired us and aligned with our own ethos, being a community coffee shop dedicated to bringing people together and helping those in need.

"In our collaboration we provide a space for Sara’s vision to take place, & the feedback has been tremendous.

"To see the benefits of these contributions to the community is truly humbling, but to be apart of that with someone as likeminded as Sara is even more so, and we look to continue this to give back to the community.”

The new collection in collaboration with BrewBar includes unisex organic cotton t shirts in a range of colours priced at £25 and a reusable coffee cup priced at £12.50, with a donation of £5 from each one going to The Harrogate Homeless Project.

To find out more about the HGTE range, visit https://violetstore.uk/hgte-range

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