We're so excited to announce that we've partnered with Northern Door Activism to present a Community Clothing Swap!
How: Bring up to 10 pieces* (*per category: men's, womens, childrens, (total limit 30) of gently-used (no stained, soiled apparel or undergarments please!) clothing and/or accessories to swap for something "new"!
Upon arrival please check-in at the front table, we will exchange a number of tickets for each item being swapped and hang/fold your items on the swap floor.
You will then be free to browse as you sip, swap and support sustainability in our
community!
Read on to learn more about how Clothing Swaps not only benefit our communities but how your participation helps keep clothing in circulation longer (ie. is more sustainable!)
Why Swap? Swapping clothing that we might normally donate or even throw away helps keep those pieces in circulation longer, and the longer we keep our clothing in circulation that less of an impact they have on our environment. There are currently enough clothes on Earth to clothe 6 generations, yet we are consuming at least 400% more than we did just two decades ago. The fact of the matter is there are just too many clothes, and Fast Fashion's race to the bottom is huge part of the problem. Do you ever notice how the clothing we are buying today is not as good of quality as it was even ten years ago? That's because the clothing is made cheaper and cheaper and yet we're buying more and more of it, as our wardrobes don't hold up or satisfy current trends as long as they used to!
Annie Leonard, Executive Director of Greenpeace USA and creator of The Story of Stuff
“There is no such thing as away. When you throw something away, it must go somewhere.”
What is Sustainable Fashion? Sustainable fashion is a way to combat the current state of "buy, throw-away, repeat" that is present in todays "fast-fashion" world. With a sustainable fashion mindset, we strive to wear our clothing longer, buy second-hand, pass it along (like at a swap) or keep it in our closets by maintaining it or purchasing higher quality items that we know we'll wear for years to come.
Perhaps we think twice before buying that top on sale when we remember we already have something similar in our closets at home. Or we ask a friend if they have a dress we could borrow to wear to our next big event. There are literally SO MANY ways we can engage with sustainability in fashion (that don't include buying anything!). And it's never about being perfect (because that's impossible!)
Below are more actionable steps you can take to support sustainability (the future of fashion!) for yourself and your community.
1. Shop "Second Hand First": As we mentioned above, taking a second-hand first approach is an easy and actionable way we can immediately make an impact on the overconsumption of clothing.
2. Shop your own closet: Take an inventory of what you already have. A lot of times it's impossible to actually know what we need, if we don't know what we already own! So take an inventory of your wardrobe, (for example: "5 pairs of jeans, 2 white button-downs shirts, 3 blue t-shirts...etc"). Knowing what you have at your fingertips makes it possible to skip a new purchase next time!
3. Organize your own clothing swap: You don't have to wait for a big community swap to have your own! We inviite you to host your own swap party! Its super easy to organize, just ask your pals to bring up to # (whatever number you choose) items over to swap amongst eachother - have everyone bring a dish/beverage to enjoy too! Donate the remaining items to your local charity, or find a way to re-purpose them!
4. Track Your Wears: In an effort to be a more conscious shopper and make fewer purchases, plus get more wears out of your wardrobe, or develop your own personal style - wardrobe tracking is a super useful tool! Most of us vastly underestimate the amount of clothing we own and how often we wear it, tracking your wears really puts that into perspective.
Wardrobe tracking shows you what you wear and how often. It highlights the outfits you enjoy wearing, as well as the color palettes you prefer. Tracking wears can also help with planning outfits and restyling new ones, as well as making purchases and packing lists. Most importantly it helps you to appreciate what you already own, and become a smarter, more sustainable shopper.
We hope you enjoyed following along on this guide to sustainable fashion and benefit in some small way from these actionable ways we can support sustainability in our own lives as well as in our communities!
KRESS PAVILION, EGG HARBOR Photo: Door County Pulse, by Len Villano.
To RSVP for this event on Facebook click here. We hope to see you there!