BELFAST-based Becky Bellamy and Connor Kerr established Another World Belfast in 2017 as a community interest company (CIC) to provide support to marginalised groups within the city, particularly the LGBTQ+ communities.The fashion-savvy duo were thrilled to be invited to assist American music star Lizzo with her costumes during her Belsonic performance last month. The opportunity to dress Lizzo – a renowned advocate for the global queer community – felt like a "full circle moment" for the Another World Belfast duo."Really, we were there to stitch and mend and steam and prepare outfits," says Connor, a former hair and fashion stylist, of the pair's Lizzo experience.
"Everything from washing undergarments or socks, straight through to getting to touch and feel and work with iconic outfits. It was very exciting for us." However, stitching and steaming the clothes of celebrities is only a small part of Another World Belfast's work.In 2011, after what was supposed to be a four-month trip around Asia, Connor was inspired to dedicate their life to helping people. Over the next four years, they volunteered with various humanitarian projects throughout Asia, Greece and South and Central America.Connor's altruistic endeavours ended abruptly while working in Bolivia, when they fell ill and had to return to Belfast. During the course of their recovery, Connor combined their love for fashion with their mission to help and make change happen by raising funds for The Rainbow Project, a local LGBTQ+ charity which had helped Connor and many of their friends.
Read more:Belfast swap shop appeals for donations to help support people experiencing hardship
Belfast couple recognised for work to help others by BBC One's The One ShowThey planned to open a pop-up volunteer-led space where guests could "get glam" and pay whatever they liked. Quickly realising the scale of this mission, they posted on Facebook asking for help. Becky was one of the few to reply. As a project manager, Becky provided invaluable support and ideas, aligning her skills with Connor's vision and igniting a new sense of purpose."I kind of tried to support from afar, really just thinking that he was a very, very special person," explains Becky, who was formerly the managing director of a major retailer."Connor put up a message on Facebook to say, 'I'm going to start this project, can anybody help with hairstyles and make-up artists?'."I said, 'sorry, I can't do those things – but I am a project manager and I can help you with ideas and support in any way that I can'. That gave me focus at the same time as I wasn't particularly enjoying myself and what I was doing."
The pair opened their very first pop-up shop on Botanic Avenue in November 2017, which made them realise how well they worked together. With Becky's background in procurement and marketing, they went on to legally form Another World Belfast."I said, 'we'll set up a social enterprise: I will figure out a way of paying my own costs with what we do, but we'll help people at the same time'," says Becky.Since then, Another World Belfast has become actively involved in multiple projects while operating across two sites within the city.To support these endeavors, their Show Some Love shop on Winetavern Street generates funds and “helps them to keep the lights on”. The store offers a selection of curated 'reloved' clothing priced at £10 (with a 50 per cent discount if you bring something to swap) and Show Some Love-branded products, including their famous coffee scrub, which has been endorsed by TV and radio presenter Fearne Cotton.
"We started out with local markets here, but what we really wanted to do was test it further afield," Becky explains."We wanted to see what it looked like in an external market, learn about it ourselves also in a safe environment where we could make mistakes."I knew the market area in Ibiza very well and we both had very passable Spanish, so we thought 'let's go to Ibiza' and decided to buy a 21-year-old caravan: we had the hardest but most beautiful summer of our lives – actually living out of a caravan for four months with no money really made me realise how little I needed. "Then we got back to Belfast, got to work and we haven't stopped since."Once back from experimenting in the external market, the pair embarked on initiatives including their Free Store clothing banks and the Love Pack programme, which delivers hygiene products to the city's homeless.
"We went and asked all of the organisations supporting people experiencing homelessness in the city, 'what do you need?'," remembers Becky."And they said, 'pants and socks, toiletries', things that they struggle to get through donations. So, we said 'okay, we'll go do that' and it's been really helpful and really useful."The organisation prioritises making the products as easy to access as possible."There's no sermon, no book, no conversation: if you want the stuff, you can turn up and you can get it, and most projects do work like that," Connor says.Over the past six years, Another World Belfast has grown and expanded, both physically and online."We've built so much of our community through social media," says Connor."Even walking to meet here today, people in the street are like, 'Oh, I follow you' and 'I would love to come and volunteer'. "It's all about trying to keep people informed and engaged. As well as pushing some of the harder messages, we also need to entertain and involve people so that they can have a laugh."
Looking forward, Another World Belfast is venturing further into the realm of sustainable fashion, with plans for a "groundbreaking creative community unlike anything seen in Belfast before”.Prior to her Belsonic gig, Lizzo donated $50,000 to the Marsha P Johnson Institute in honour of Pride month and Juneteenth."That's why it's all the more beautiful and energetic and wonderful to see a star like Lizzo, firstly, choosing to come to Belfast, and secondly choosing to bring her Special tour, which has a massive focus on Pride and trans rights," Connor enthuses.
"Just to stand on the stage that night: we were at the side passing props and helping with quick changes to see that [rainbow] flag appear, and to see the sea of transness and queerness and happiness in Belfast was nothing short of incredible."As people who run a queer-led and focused project, it was actually really emotional. It was very hard work: we were there for 15 hours, we did not stop – but you do get these little seconds just to look at each other, and we realised – there was hope."
:: To find out more about Another World Belfast's work, visit anotherworldbelfast.com or call in to Show Some Love at 11 Winetavern Street, Belfast.
