Bali Villas

The world of fashion is full of prestige, glamor and vanity. Luckily, sparks of kindness still burn in the hearts of some of Jakarta?s fashion lovers. Teges Prita Soraya and Anastasia Florine Limasnax, or Flo, have recently opened Rebel for a Cause, a store which sells secondhand goods and donates the proceeds to charity.

?I couldn?t sleep one night, so I called up my best friend Flo,? said Teges, who is the senior marketing communications manager at the Grand Indonesia mall. ?We talked and talked … and we got to the point where we really wanted to help other people without going around and asking for donations.?

Teges ran the idea past her employers at the mall, who ended up providing the duo with a vacant storefront located at level one of the East Mall. ?We don?t have to pay any rents, electricity bills or service charges,? Teges said. ?So, all the proceeds can go directly to charity.?

The store, with its modern minimalist decor, sports a simple but functional display and fits in well among the surrounding boutiques, which mainly feature collections by up-and-coming, young Indonesian designers.

And Rebel for a Cause has already attracted the attention of local celebrities who have elected to donate numerous items, and their time, to the store.

Among some of the first donations to the boutique have been sassy fashion items belonging to Indonesian pop singer Shanty. ?I?ve been so blessed for these 14 years in the entertainment business,? Shanty said during the store?s opening. ?Now, it?s time for me to give back.

?I think the store provides an opportunity for new and emerging artists to purchase these highly expensive clothes by famous designers at a fraction of their real prices,? she added.

To give the store a boost of excitement during its opening celebration, Shanty donated three suitcases full of stage outfits and shoes with an estimated value of Rp 350 million ($39,000).

?I still remember when and for how much I bought each of them, where I had worn them and whom I met while wearing them,? she said.

One of the most memorable items for the songstress was a lime-green frock, which she wore to the Cannes Film Festival in 2006. The frock, which Shanty bought for Rp 15 million, was on sale at Rebel for a Cause for a mere Rp 1 million.

And to make it obvious to buyers the extent of the bargain they are getting, each item at the shop shows two prices ? the original price of purchase and the reselling cost.

?These are all designer clothes, originally priced between 15 and 20 million rupiah per piece,? Shanty said. ?But at the store, they?re sold at only 20 to 25 percent of their original price.?

She expects to raise Rp 50 million from the sales of her clothes and shoes for an orphanage and old people?s home in Cipayung, East Jakarta. ?They are going to use it to improve the facilities,? she said.

Singer and actress Bunga Citra Lestari also donated some of her clothes to Rebel for a Cause.

?I?m happy that there?s now a store like Rebel for a Cause,? she said. ?I?ve always wanted to donate my clothes, but I didn?t know where I could go to do so.?

Bunga donated 25 stage outfits and three suitcases full of regular clothing to the store, all with an estimated value of Rp 100 million. ?I wore most of them only once or twice and then stored them,? she said. ?They are all in a very good condition.?

From the sales, the artist is hoping to raise approximately Rp 25 million for a center for cancer patients in Jakarta.

?Most of the cancer patients have to come to Jakarta for their medication,? Bunga said. ?As their medication alone is very costly, they often cannot afford a hotel room. At this halfway house, cancer patients can stay for free during their medication in Jakarta.?

The clothes donated by Bunga include items by famous Indonesian designers such as Ivan Gunawan, Edward Hutabarat, Deden Siswanto and Barli Asmara. Originally priced at Rp 5 million to Rp 10 million per item, they are expected to sell for between Rp 500,000 and Rp 1 million.

Featured among the items is a yellow strapless dress embellished with white ruffles that Bunga wore to the 2009 sixth anniversary of the gossip show ?Insert? on Trans TV.

But Teges wants to stress that donating to Rebel for a Cause is not only reserved for celebrities and fashion icons.

?Practically everyone can participate at Rebel for a Cause,? Teges said. ?Just contact our customer service department to make your donation.?

The unique charity store will take anything from used clothes, shoes, furniture, books and electronic gadgets provided they are in good condition. The shop can even arrange for home pick-ups.

?A logistics company, which is one of our partners, will come to pick up your donations at your place,? Teges said. And even if you have nothing to donate but still want to lend a helping hand, Teges said people could volunteer to work at the shop.

And Teges has already enlisted a few Indonesian celebrities to help man the counter and stock the shelves at Rebel for a Cause. Between September and October, singers Tompi, Dewi Sandra and Marcel have all agreed to pitch in and help out at the boutique.

?So watch out,? Teges said. ?Maybe, when you?re visiting the shop one day ? you?ll get Tompi waiting on you at the store.?