World Bulletin / News Desk

Clothing racks with free winter wear for the homeless are spontaneously popping up all over Iran with the trend being copies over the world. Known as the "Wall of Kindness" anonymous philanthropists have provided clothings racks in order to provide homeless people with winter garments and are encouraging others to lend their closets to the cause.  The trend began in Iran where someone wrote "If you don't need it, leave it. If you need it, take it." on the wall with a number of coats, trousers, sweaters and other warm clothing left on several coathangers. 

The trend has made it way to Turkey - called "Askida Giyisi" with many walls in central areas in tens of provinces having coathangers or hooks for those who have extra's to pass it on to the homeless. Some councils have also provided makeshift tents for the homeless to browse. The campaign has garnered much interest and was inspired by the "Askida Ekmek" campaign that is in the bakeries whereby those who buy their daily fresh loaf of bread also provide a monetary donation to the bakery the provides breads in bags for the homeless.

In South Africa, the concept takes its own shape called The Street Store, a collaboration between a Cape Town ad agency and a local homeless shelter.  The pop up street stores consists of a series off multifunctional cardboard posters that turn an ordinary sidewalk or fence into a shop display where the homeless can browse through what they need Some of the posters have a hole in them, that allow people to use them as cloth hangers. The project asks citizens to donate clothes and shoes they don’t wear and leave them ‘in’ the shop so the homeless can pick them up.

source: Pop Up City