Clothing swaps: Save your money and the environment in one go
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When the economy wobbles and it’s time to tighten the vintage, studded leather belt, what’s a glamazon to do to refresh the wardrobe?
Thousands of shoppers, it seems, are going the guilt-free, eco-friendly route by meeting online and in person to exchange clothes and accessories.
Organizers claim that these swap, or ‘swish,’ meets have several advantages: Participants can clear the unwanted clutter in their closets while saving a pretty penny by reusing someone else’s outfits.
Some say that clothing trades help maintain sartorial creativity in an environment saturated by brands.
Others claim that the events are protests against textile waste, which some contend makes up 4.5% of residential waste, or 8.75 billion pounds per year. Whether sustainable or economical or ethical, the exchanges have seen a boom in interest recently.
Read on for swap events and online exchange forums...
Suzanne Agasi launched Clothing Swap more than a decade ago to help fashionistas stay hip the eco-friendly way. All unclaimed hand-me-downs are donated directly to local nonprofit shelters and charities. With more than 13,000 registered shoppers, the organization has hosted 33% more swaps in the last two months.
WhatsMineIsYours.com, founded in 2004 by British stylist and personal shopper Judy Berger, has more than 25,000 members. The site prohibits pay-for-play and swap-for-points and, instead, instructs users only to pay for postage. The credit crunch has helped boost the number of swaps, doubling the site’s unique visitors to 60,000 per month, Berger said.
The exchanges set up by Swap-O-Rama-Rama, also started in 2004, sometimes draw more than 5,000 people, according to founder Wendy Tremayne. Participants pay $5 to contribute about five to 10 pounds of unwanted clothing to an enormous pile, and then dive in to pick out replacements. Leftover clothes are donated.
Sewing workshops and silk-screening stations set up at each event help train swappers to modify or revamp their discoveries. Participants also can take a twirl in their new clothes down a runway at the site.
The events are hosted in dozens of cities, including Jerusalem, Istanbul and New York, Tremayne said. An event at the Shrine Auditorium in November drew more than 400 participants, and organizers are gearing up for another Los Angeles swap in May.
Once participants add clothes to British site BigWardrobe.com, they begin receiving offers to swap or purchase from other members. The nearly 18,000 active listings on the site include profiles for a vintage Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress and a Tommy Hilfiger leather biker jacket.
Clothing, accessories, cosmetics, shoes, even books are up for grabs at SwapStyle.com. Sydney, Australia-based Emily Chesher founded the site in 2004 when she realized she could not afford designer styles with the budget of a fashion student.
--Tiffany Hsu