THE EXCHANGE
CHANGING THE CURRENCY OF CONSUMERISM
Stocked with clothing and accessories from more than 25 of South Africa’s top designers, nothing in the store can be purchased with cash or credit cards – only by becoming an organ donor.
We live in a society where consumerism, fashion and popular culture have become more important than human life. But what if we could reverse this negative state? Instead of fighting consumerism, we set out to prove that fashion can actually save lives.
To bring the idea to life, we opened up a pop-up store in Cavendish Square, one of Cape Town’s most popular malls. We filled the space with items donated by local, popular fashion designers and distributors and the store became popular, fast.
Next, we needed to create awareness. We designed a range of print ads and posters but instead of hiring fashion models, we used people who are on the organ donor list; people waiting for their lives to be saved. Online banners and emailers also helped spread the word.
In store, anyone who bought something was photographed and this was then shared across the Organ Donor Foundation’s Facebook page and The Exchange’s Instagram account, creating great conversation throughout both social mediums.
With such a unique shopping experience, we decided to design and create distinctive packaging, reminiscent of an ‘Organs in Transit’ bag, which reinforced our message outside the store.
We simplified the Organ Donor Foundation’s registration form into a tablet-based signup and turned it into a pledge that was then shared to the donor’s network, through Facebook Connect.
