We’ve got a big line-up of clothing swaps this year as part of our (Re)Love Your Stuff textile waste series. If you’re coming along to your first one soon – welcome to the swapping movement! It’s a great way to reduce clothing waste to landfill (and find some amazing pieces!) by sharing what we already have instead of buying new items. Here are some tips to get the most out of your swap.
How it works
- Check in and hand over your items to our team of amazing volunteers for sorting
- Enjoy a presentation about the circular fashion economy from our special guest speaker
- After the presentation, the floor is open for swapping! Head out and start browsing the racks for some pre-loved gems. There is no limit to what you can take but we do ask that you swap mindfully and only take items you want and will actually wear.
Fantastic event promoting sustainability and we got to go home with new (to us) clothes!
What to bring
We’re looking for clothes, shoes and accessories that are:
- In good condition – look for holes, bobbles, missing stitches and trailing threads
- Clean – no pet hair please!
- Free of stains
- Quality brands and fabric – anything from a cheap fast fashion brand most likely won’t make it onto the swapping floor, as we want to keep things fair for people who are bringing high quality items.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the capacity to remove stains, bobbles or pet hair from each individual piece of clothing – so anything you bring for swapping needs to be ready to go straight out onto the racks! A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself – “Would I gift this to my bestie/sister/niece?”
For clothes with holes, broken zips or missing buttons – check the event details to see if Repair Lab will be in attendance. If so, they may be able to fix them so you can bring them to the next swap.
Mindful swapping
Clothes swapping is about sharing the items we have to keep them in use for longer. There’s no point swapping an item you don’t wear for something else you’re not sure of! The swapping floor will be open for 1-2 hours, so we encourage you to take your time and really think about what you’re likely to wear and enjoy. Here are some tips for swapping mindfully:
- Try things on
- Bring a friend for a second opinion
- Do a second pass of each clothing rack – things will be coming and going as people try them on
- See how the fabric feels on your skin – if it’s not comfortable you won’t end up wearing it!
- Think about how each item will work in your wardrobe. When will you wear it? What will you wear it with?
Clothing swaps are a great opportunity to try things you may not otherwise consider wearing. Keep an open mind and you never know what treasures you may find.
The clothing swaps keep me mindful about clothes waste, and focused on having the right wardrobe for my life.
Register for an upcoming swap here
By gifting, swapping and sharing your stuff, you’re taking part in the circular economy – a movement towards eliminating waste by keeping materials and energy in circulation for a long as possible. With landfills and oceans filling up with our discarded stuff, it’s a much-needed sustainable pathway. So by replacing clothes shopping with clothes swapping, you’re not only sourcing some great (free!) pieces for your wardrobe – you’re also doing a good thing for the environment. Happy swapping!