One of the latest trends among fashionable young people who are concerned about the environmental impact of their lifestyles is clothes swapping. In the UK, big-name celebrities have been on hand to preside over high-end clothes swaps such as the 2008 London Visa Swap.
In North America and elsewhere, clothes swapping is more often done as a smaller affair that draws people from all walks of life to get some clothes for “nothing.” Nothing but your own disused clothes turned in for recycling. Clothes swapping parties are also becoming very fashionable. Not only do you find yourself networking with others, but you save the cost and environmental impact of all the new clothes that you may have otherwise purchased.
Rumored to have begun in the green-friendly environment of Portland, Oregon, clothes swapping parties (or “swishing,” as the Australians call it) are the result of a group of women who were dissatisfied with the massive volume of clothes disposed of in the US every year. Just like the UK that tosses a staggering 1 million metric tonnes of clothes each year, North America faces a major disposal problem from all this waste.
Add to that the environmental impact of the production, shipping and sale of each item, and that adds up to a great deal of petroleum. Where there's petrol, there's carbon dioxide, so the impact on the environment is considerable, well before they get buried in a landfill.
Also dissatisfied with the response of the fashion industry to ethical and environmental concerns, people all over the world have decided to take matters into their own hands and have some fun. These parties are very well-attended, with just about everyone leaving with what they consider to be fantastic swaps.
Indeed much of the allure of clothes swapping parties, regardless of the environmental impact, is the fun that people have watching others find delight in their old things and meeting new people who obviously share some of your taste in conserving resources for the environment as well as fashion.
Another hot venue for clothes swapping has popped up on-line. Sites have been operating since 2004, giving on-line swappers a chance to virtually meet one person at a time and make swaps. This type of swapping service not only serves as a good place to get rid of clothes that you're no longer interested in maintaining, but also allows you to make straight swaps or purchase clothes based upon donation credits.
Those involved with these projects don't think of them as supplanting the fashion industry, but instead giving more people access to it. Moreover, many of the larger events that are sponsored by corporate giants such as L'oreal and Visa have fashion “advisors” on hand who can give advice as to how to put together a new wardrobe with what can sometimes be rather disparate items.
For many who do regular clothes swapping, the allure is party social but can also have an impact on their style. Some who have been doing it for a very long time recommend that swappers be choosy about what they get. It's easy to be overwhelmed at the volume of “free” clothes that are available, but it can get overwhelming fast. Newcomers to the trend might want to try putting their old items up for trade and going slow with what they choose. The credits, in on-line swaps, don't run out and can be used whenever something you really want comes available. Patience is the key to really successful clothes swapping. Your care for the environment doesn't even have to be an issue.
With this and other cooperative methods of saving resources, the environmental impact of fashion doesn't have to be a problem. Clothes swapping is becoming a very mainstream way to save money and look great. As budgets are further restricted as the price of just about everything else goes up, you can still afford plenty of good looking clothes that have just been up in someone else's closet for awhile.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articles23.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
