Pay with your vital organs

A pop up fashion boutique in South Africa is asking its customers to pay with their vital organs instead of money.

The retail experience in Cape Town lets customers take home clothes and handbags as long as they sign up to a organ donor list.

Created by digital agency Native, The Exchange was designed to encourage more people to sign up with the Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa.

The store is currently based in the city’s Cavendish Square and invites customers to browse its selection of fashion items, made by some of the country’s top designers.

Rather than exchange monetary currency for the goods, the store only accepts registration as an organ donor in order to help those in need of a transplant, as well as aid doctors in research.

Numerous shoppers have already taken advantage of the pop up store, helping the charity on the way to its target of 50,000 registrations in 2013.

Its Facebook page tagline says its “the world’s first fashion boutique where you can never buy anything with money, but only with the currency of life”.

“lt’s not often that we come across such a compelling piece of work that will undoubtedly make such a big impact on our organisation,” says Samantha Volschenk, executive director of the Organ Donor Foundation SA.

“Each donor registration can hopefully save seven lives and with over 500 items in the boutique, we hope to reach a target of over 3500 possible lives saved.”

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