Bengaluru Friends’ Unique Bank Sells Clothes for Just ₹1

Sometimes, the simplest ideas create the deepest impact. For Bengaluru-based friends Nitin, Vinod, Vignesh, and Melisha, that idea was a clothes bank where anyone in need could buy clothing for just ₹1.

The thought first took shape during their college days, when the group collected clothes from fellow students and distributed them on the streets. After graduation, life moved on. Careers took over, and the initiative paused. But when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, they found themselves once again face to face with hardship: migrant workers and daily wage earners struggling to survive, often without even basic clothing.

Pooling their personal savings, the group launched a ₹1 clothes bank with a simple belief: help should come with dignity. Instead of giving clothes away for free, they priced them at ₹1, allowing people to choose what they wanted and walk away with their self-respect intact.

The early days were filled with doubt. Would people donate clothes? Would anyone come to buy them? Would volunteers step forward? “We started collecting clothes from friends and family members initially,” says Nitin. There were days when the team went door to door collecting clothes with little help. Gradually, community support began to grow, and a resident even offered space in her apartment to run the clothes bank.

Today, the space looks like a store. Shirts, saris, jackets and blankets are neatly arranged, ready to be chosen. The small amount collected from sales goes back into supporting the medical and educational needs of struggling families. So far, the initiative has helped over 25,000 people and given 3–4 lakh pieces of clothing a second life.

Their message to others? “We want youth and like-minded people to come forward and contribute towards these kind of noble causes to bring a small change in our society,” says Nitin.

Aditya Birla Group is proud to partner with The Better India in sharing stories of individuals who are quietly restoring dignity and compassion by choosing to be #AForceForGood.