Gumboot brand Merry People teams up with Bridge It to tackle homelessness
It’s possible to create commercial value for your brand while “also making the world a better place”, says Merry People founder Danielle Pearce.
It’s possible to create commercial value for your brand while “also making the world a better place”, says Merry People founder Danielle Pearce.
That’s one of Pearce’s key pieces of advice for fellow entrepreneurs, following the successful launch of Merry People’s collaboration with Melbourne-based charity Bridge It.
Pearce told SmartCompany a limited edition Merry People and Bridge It gumboot is on track to sell out within only two weeks of its launch, highlighting how much Merry People’s customers have embraced the brand’s charitable work.
Designed by the Merry People team to showcase Bridge It’s work to combat homelessness among young women, the vibrant jade green and coral red boots reflect the charity’s brand colours.
The co-branded boots retail for $159.95 and 20% of the proceeds will go directly to Bridge It, which operates a housing facility called The Cocoon in St Kilda, as well as support and mentoring programs.
Merry People has been involved with Bridge It for the past two years, starting with a financial donation to help the charity establish its garden and peer mentoring program at The Cocoon.
The funds raised from the sales of the boots will go towards Bridge It’s peer mentorship program.
As Pearce recalls, Bridge It founder and CEO Carla Raynes wanted the garden to be “a space of colour, happiness and refuge for the residents – all things I felt aligned strongly with Merry People”.
Merry People playing a “small part” in creating change
Pearce founded Merry People in 2014, creating a range of fashionable, yet durable, gumboots that could withstand Melbourne’s unpredictable weather and still be suitable for the office.
The brand has since developed a loyal following in the local footwear industry via its e-commerce store and the 70, mostly independent, stockists that stock its colourful boots.
Pearce has long been an advocate for values-based business – she decided when founding Merry People that the boots would never go on sale – and this extends to the brand’s work with Bridge It.
“Carla has worked in the homelessness space for 20 years and upon meeting her, I could feel she genuinely wants to see change in the space,” says Pearce.
“I think everyone should have the right to a safe home, but sadly it is not the case.
“Hearing some of the stories of some of the [Cocoon] residents who came from very complex and traumatic backgrounds was very heartbreaking, especially as a new mum to a baby girl.
“I felt like Merry People could play a small part in helping these young women have a better chance of a happy and fulfilling life.”
Pearce also saw similarities between Raynes’ “small but mighty” vision for Bridge It, which was founded three years ago, and her own path with Merry People.
“A girl from a small country town, with no financial backing, selling boots at farmer’s markets, when my main competitors were all multinational brands,” she says.
“We are both really fuelled by passion!”
“Start by thinking about your values”
This is not the first time Merry People has collaborated with another organisation, and it was the brand’s Mother’s Day collab with the Mother’s Day Classic that led to Raynes approaching Pearce with the idea for their partnership.
The fact that Bridge It is a small charity played a part in Pearce’s decision to say yes.
“Most Australians or Melbourne residents would not have heard of Bridge It,” she explains.
“They might also not know many of the stats around homelessness, specifically that young women are more at risk of homelessness than men.
“We have an engaged audience of customers who care about making the world a better place. So not only does the boot generate funding, but it also gets Bridge It’s message out in front of our audience.”
And while Merry People and Bridge It are still discussing future collaborations, Pearce has two more pieces of advice for businesses that want to find and support community organisations.
“Start by thinking about your values, your people, and customers,” she says.
“What is important to you as a founder and what would connect with the people around you?”
And don’t underestimate the effect such a partnership can have on your own team, says Pearce, including “the pride they will have to work for your company, and a strengthened unity it can create across departments”.
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