Clothing for Correspondence began seven years ago when young Melbourne writers Penny and Jane started a bartering project.
They offered their services as letter writers for people who were struggling to put pen to paper. In exchange, they asked for an item of pre-loved clothing from the letter requestor’s wardrobe.
The idea for offer themselves as letter writers came from their love of the written word, keen interest in clothes and their adoration for hand-me-downs.
It wasn’t long before Clothing for Correspondence was receiving letter requests from all over the globe: Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Wellington, Suva, Kansas City, London, Budapest, and the list goes on.
The pair have now written more than 100 letters of complaint, confession, celebration, condolence and, of course, love.
While the predicaments are always unique, and often hilarious, the themes are universal.
Fundamentally, Clothing for Correspondence is about people wanting to connect with other people.
As an early fan of the project, Charlotte helped the Melbourne pair to turn their letters into a television series, which can now be viewed on ABC iView and ABC Comedy as part of their Binge on Comedy project.
Recently described by one of Europe’s largest television distributors, ZDF as “chicken soup for the soul,” Other People’s Problems was written by Penny and Jane, and stars Maria Angelico (Sisters) and Ainslie Clouston (Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am).
With five episodes of approximately seven minutes each, Other People’s Problems is a delight to view as individual episodes, or a complete 35 minute binge.
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