Words by Smiley Team
Pivot, the social enterprise that empowers people experiencing homelessness through making and enterprise, has taken its collection to Westfield London just in time for Christmas.
From Monday 7th to Sunday 20th December, Pivot has a pop-up in the bustling heart of Westfield London, making it the first social enterprise the shopping centre has ever hosted as a kiosk tenant.
Founded in November 2019 by Alice Moxley, Pivot empowers people experiencing homelessness to pivot their lives by designing, making and selling jewellery.
Its model brings part-time, flexible and meaningful employment to those who find it difficult to access, by working directly in homeless hostels.
The pop-up kiosk houses a selection of Pivot’s handmade range. Customers can also buy personalised jewellery and Christmas decorations, hand-finished by one of Pivot’s makers.
All of the social enterprise’s profits are put back into its mission to help those experiencing homelessness.
Pivot joins an array of other Christmas surprises Westfield London has planned for the festive season, including cosy igloo dining experiences at the Winter Village and virtual meet and greets with Santa.
Westfield London is Europe's largest shopping centre, with over 400 stores, 700 fashion brands, over 80 places to eat and a 20-screen cinema all under one roof.
“We are really excited to be working with Westfield London, it’s an incredible opportunity for us as a business and for our makers too and will provide a huge boost to our sales in the final stretch of this year." said Alice Moxley, founder of Pivot.
"The pandemic has had a monumental impact on people, businesses, government and charities alike this year.
"But sadly, the most detrimental impact has been among the most vulnerable individuals – people experiencing homelessness are three times more likely to experience a chronic health condition and self-isolation may not be possible in shared homelessness accommodation.
"Furthermore, the virus has disproportionately affected people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.
"As a social enterprise working with young people experiencing homelessness, we have seen this impact first hand. The impact on mental health, the impact on jobs, the pressures placed on temporary accommodation providers.
By working with Westfield London we hope to expand our reach, so we help tackle homelessness in the UK by providing more support and employment.”
So far, Pivot have sold over 2000 pieces of jewellery, generating £28,000+ in sales, all of which has been reinvested into our mission of empowering young people living in temporary accommodation. They've also worked worked with 20 makers across 3 different hostels in the UK - North London, Taunton and the Single Homelessness Project.
“Westfield London is committed to supporting local and community initiatives and has a strong legacy in giving back and supporting people into employment." Comment from Grace Charge, Head of Brand Experience and Partnerships, UK and Europe at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield.
"We were so impressed by the team at Pivot and the brilliant work they are doing to create opportunities for people experiencing homelessness.
"The social enterprise that has been created not only sells a great collection of beautiful products but we are particularly proud to be able to support this initiative after such a tough year for many.”
To find out more about the work of Pivot, head to https://www.makepivot.org/ where you can donate & purchase jewellery.
