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XTM’s Heat the Homeless 2017: Australians’ wasted jackets could change lives this winter

Announcement posted by XTM 31 May 2017

•    More than 105,000 men, women and children will be sleeping rough around Australia this winter
•    Australian snow and outdoor label XTM wants to get 10,000 second-hand jackets into the hands of homeless people in 2017
•    XTM’s Heat the Homeless initiative saw 2,500 pre-loved jackets handed out to homeless people in 2016 

Wednesday 31 May 2017, MELBOURNE: As temperatures drop, on one end of the spectrum winter sport enthusiasts are getting ready to upgrade their gear ready for next season. On the other, men, women and children face chilling winter nights without shelter, and the next few months will see many lives lost or threatened by the freezing nights.

This chilling dichotomy of excitement and adventure, and terrible struggles troubled Pete Forras and his team at leading Australian snow and outdoor brand XTM Performance, so they came up with the idea to re-home second hand winter jackets that could bring some warmth to those that need it the most this winter.

“If you are living on the streets, a jacket that might be sitting at the back of someone’s closet can make it a little more bearable out there, especially on those really cold and wet nights,” XTM Performance founder and CEO Forras said. 

"At XTM, we get to work with these innovative technologies and materials to make really cool, highly technical clothes that people want to get their hands on the newest and best of every season, which is great. However the flip side is lots of clothes are being retired early when they still have plenty of life left in them to do what they are essentially made for - warming bodies through winters. 

We want people to give their old jackets a second chance – get them to the collection sites and on the backs of our friends on the streets as soon as we can,” Forras said. 

This winter, the socially-conscious label will partner with their retailers and a group of organisations in the hope of collecting 10,000 second-hand winter jackets from around Australia; adding new partners Anaconda who have collection points at all their stores nationally, and bringing back 2016 charity partners Anonymous X and Hutt St Centre who will be getting the jackets to the people who need it most. 

“Winter really puts a spotlight on the divide between those who have all the luxuries and those who are in need. We have the ability to redistribute and reconnect between these social extremes. We are hoping to get people pulling out their old winter jackets and bringing them into our retail partners’ stores where they can make a little difference to people’s lives,” Forras said.

An idea that was initially thrown around in a staff meeting, the Torquay beach based company launched its national XTM Heat the Homeless initiative for the first time in 2016.

“It just made sense to us - we thought, ‘there are so many high quality jackets now, some only getting a few weeks of wear before being replaced. It would be great to get more life out of these products we are making and get a few hundred of those out to people who could use a warm jacket this winter’.” explains Forras.

Also on this list of legends working together to redistribute some of the wealth and warmth of the snow and fashion industry and share it with the homeless, Humans in Melbourne and Melbourne I Love You founder Chris Cincotta has played a big part in making sure that as many Australians reconsider binning their old jackets this year, getting the word out via his huge social following.

After a post on Cincotta’s Humans In Melbourne page, two days and ten thousand likes in, the 2016 target had been smashed with collection points inundated with hundreds of donated jackets. By the end of winter, more than 2,500 jackets were handed out to men, women and children sleeping rough on Australian streets.

In 2017, they hope to get four times as many second hand jackets out warming bodies on Australian streets. To donate to XTM’s Heat the Homeless initiative, you can either send your jacket to the XTM Performance team directly at PO Box 422, Torquay VIC 3228 or visit XTM’s Heat the Homeless page for more distribution sites and information.
 
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For media enquiries, please contact: Emma Hornsey | PR Manager, XTM Performance | E emma@xtm.com.au | M 0415 842 801


About XTM’s Heat the Homeless
We’ve all got some old ski and snowboard jackets in our closets - the goal of the team at XTM Performance is to get them out of there and give them a second chance. Every year, XTM’s Heat the Homeless initiative hopes to collect as many of these warm, technical jackets as possible and get them to people where they can make a difference to the lives of our friends living on the streets. Since its launch in 2016, XTM’s Heat the Homeless initiative has focussed on redistributing some of the luxuries of the winter clothing industry and giving back to the men, women and children who have no alternate but to spend their nights sleeping rough on Australian streets. To donate to XTM’s Heat the Homeless initiative, you can either send your jacket to the XTM Performance team directly at PO Box 422, Torquay VIC 3228, or visit www.xtm.com.au/heat-the-homeless for more distribution sites and information.

Pete Forras – Bio
Peter Forras is living every business owner’s dream – running his successful international retailing business from Torquay, a renowned surf spot on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. After representing Australia as a professional skier, Pete wanted to start a business based on his love of snow sports. With two friends, Gary Rae and Bill Dalton, he came up with the idea of creating a brand specialising in ski apparel and accessories, which launched in 1999. Beyond his passion for his family, lifestyle and the winter and outdoor sports that he has built his business around, Pete is also a strong advocate on the impact of climate change, the social responsibilities of his company and the industry it operates in, fostering Australia’s upcoming winter sports talent, and the importance of creating a company culture that embraces balance.

About XTM Performance
XTM, an abbreviation for the term ‘cross the mountain’ or ‘X-The Mountain’, has carved out a niche supplying accessories and skiwear internationally.  Returning as Olympic partner for the fourth time in 2018, XTM Performance’s is a brand that caters for all types of adventurers. Lessons learned from working with the most talented athletes on the planet are showcased throughout the entire XTM range. Working with the world’s most advanced materials and technologies, XTM Performance manufactures more than half a million units each year, which are sold in 24 countries. As one of Australia’s leading outdoor and snow brands, XTM will forever endeavour to work with the most advanced materials and technologies in the world to continually create products of gold medal quality - all from their Torquay beach shack.