On April 4, 2023, right before Eid, a massive fire burned down Bangladesh's largest hawkers clothing market. Eid is the largest festival in Bangladesh and shopkeepers tend to increase stocks up to 70% to meet the high demands for new clothes.

Bidyanondo's Burnt Collection is a real time response to the Bongo Bazar tragedy. We created a collection from the remnants of the burnt pieces of clothing to restore livelihoods. The project was amplified through celebrities and influencers who came forward on their own to support the initiative.

Eid is the largest festival in Bangladesh, and everyone shops before Eid to celebrate the occasion. This influx of demand leads to shopkeepers around the country increasing their stocks, even if they have to borrow the capital from friends and family members. The clothing industry in particular sees more sales during Eid than the entirety of the year combined.

Bongo Bazar was not just a hawkers clothing market, it was a part of Bangladesh's urban culture and heritage. It was a hub brimmed to the full with a wide range of collections and budget options for everyone. People in Bangladesh from all socio-economic backgrounds and age groups had shopped at Bongo Bazar at some point of their lives.

For Bangladeshis, there are countless memories centred around Bongo Bazar. When the fire burned the market down, the entire nation was heartbroken and everyone looked for the right avenue to help the shopkeepers and traders.

Situation: Bongo Bazar was the largest hawkers clothing market in Bangladesh, it was a cornerstone of urban culture and the source of livelihoods for marginalised traders. Everyone in Bangladesh had at one point or another visited the market to shop and therefore felt an emotional connection to the place. But right before Eid, on April 4, 2023, a massive fire burned down the entire market.

Brief: Come up with an initiative to help the marginalised shopkeepers of Bongo Bazar. It should be an effective fund-raising campaign that would engage people and speed up the donation process in light of the urgency.

Objectives: To raise funds for the victims of the Bongo Bazar fire incident.

Help the shopkeepers and traders set up store before Eid.

The Burnt Collection by Bidyanondo is a collection created on the same day as the incident from the remnants of the burnt pieces of the incident to help the marginalised traders.

We turned Bidyanondo's Facebook page with a massive following into a temporary f-commerce platform to launch the collection and sell the pieces starting from the day of the incident itself. Given the emotional ties to Bongo Bazar, we wanted the pieces to act as souvenirs of a time and place that no longer exists. For the collection to reflect the spirit of Bongo Bazar. So, we directly used the singed fabric as something that would be precious to those who would collect it while also knowing that they helped the shopkeepers recover businesses before Eid.

Data gathering: We used data collected from the Facebook page of Bidyanondo and all the information Bidyanondo had on the behaviour of shoppers and traders.

Target audience: Regular shoppers of Bongo Bazar, people with an emotional connection to Bongo Bazar, and people who were looking for the right outlet of donation to help the victims of the incident.

Relevance to social platform: Turning Bidyanondo's official Facebook page with a massive following into an F-commerce platform would give the grieving supporters an effective way to aid the victims.

Approach: Rather than a regular ask for donations we used a modality that would allow for an exchange instead. Instead of simply asking for money across various platforms, we created a collection and then turned Bidyanondo's official Facebook page into a temporary F-commerce platform.

Our volunteers rushed to the site, purchased burnt articles of clothing for an immediate solution, and repackaged them on the day of the incident. We then leveraged Bidyanondo’s Facebook page to launch the collection the same day. And promoted the collection through Facebook live sessions. The nation began to buy the burnt clothes from our Facebook page. News channels covered the Burnt Collection, and 50+ celebrities came forward and bought these pieces at high prices. This generated a wave of 0 Budget PR. Once the celebrities and influencers had stepped up on their own and posted from their official accounts, further posts from Bidyanondo were made asking people to support the initiative. The Burnt Collection used the engaging nature of celebrities and influencers to reach people.

We used the money generated from the sales to let the shop owners set up store before Eid.

Raised USD 250,000+ in 10 days

230 small traders were able to restart their businesses

Endorsement from 50+ celebrities with ZERO budget

Donations increased 230% during the campaign period

700,000+ Social Media Reach

Organic PR worth of 252,100 USD