Melanie C is being a good sport for a great cause in Australia.
The Spice Girls co-founder is fronting the Uber x Australian Red Cross Clothing Drive, a national spring clean which encourages Aussies to donate clothes for the charity’s fundraising activities.
Some 30 years after Sporty Spice returned the tracksuit to its rightful place in pop culture’s top shelf, the British pop superstar is parting ways with three memorable pieces that will be racked in Australian Red Cross Shops. They include her “Morning Show Tracksuit,” a green and yellow tracksuit that gave off vibes of former prime minister John Howard’s fetching ensemble; the “Roundhouse” grey sequin suit she wore live in London; and a little black Gucci dress.
“I’ve been lucky enough to wear some incredible pieces over the years – there are lots of memories attached to them, and I love the idea of giving them a new life with somebody else,” she explains in a statement. “And yes, I’m even parting with a couple of tracksuits! If I can do it, hopefully Sporty Spice can inspire others to have a look through their wardrobes too.”
Melanie is very much at home down under, where she has served as a coach on The Voice Australia for the past two seasons. It’s been a winning experience. Last Sunday, Sept. 27, her artist Yung Milla was crowned winner of The Voice Australia 2026, which aired on the free-to-air Seven Network.
By giving back to Red Cross, a charity that has helped people through crisis, recovery, and everyday challenges for more than 110 years, Melanie is helping to raise vital funds to support people here and abroad, and encouraging Aussies to recycle and reduce waste.
“I’ve always loved finding great pre-loved pieces. The last time I was in Sydney, my stylist and I went into a Red Cross Shop in Bondi Junction and found a brilliant yellow bomber jacket, which I ended up wearing on The Voice,” she enthuses. “I love that you never quite know what you’re going to find.”
Mel has contributed to a campaign video and her face adorns a red double-decker bus that’ll be hard to miss as it does the rounds in Sydney.
As a member of the Spice Girls, Mel C brought “Girl Power” — and the tracksuit — to the masses. Formed in 1994, the pop group had a global phenomenon two years later with their debut single, 1996’s “Wannabe.” The catchy track logged four weeks at the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1997, and is one of the group’s nine U.K. No. 1 singles. The Brits’ debut LP Spice cruised to five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and 15 weeks at the summit of the Official U.K. Albums Chart (followup Spiceworld bagged three weeks at No. 1 in the U.K. in 1997).
The group went on hiatus in 2000, returning in 2007 for a global tour and again in 2018-2019, though without Victoria Beckham.
Now entering its eighth year, the Uber x Australian Red Cross Clothing Drive last year collected almost 125,000kg of quality pre-loved clothing. That was enough shop-quality donations to stock five Red Cross stores for an entire year, reps say.
The clothing drive culminates in a one-day mass giveaway on Saturday, Oct. 17 from between 10am and 4pm local time, with Uber collecting items from doorsteps in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Read more here.
