Wardrobe Swapping (with my sister)

A few months ago I had an idea, which I suggested to my sister, Lauren. Why don't we swap some of our clothes? It's quite a simple idea, but I didn’t realise how effective it would be. Lauren and I are lucky, as we have quite a similar style and there is a cross over in the types of clothes we like to wear (occasionally, we pick up the same thing in a shop without realising!). We fit most of the same things, so we have borrowed clothes before. There were things we’d seen each other wear that we’d had our eyes on for a while...

So this was our chance to do some bargaining!   

I went to rummage in the wardrobe, and I had quickly stacked up several heavy coat-hangers onto the side of Lauren’s door. I was interested in what Lauren had selected – she chose some things that I had almost forgotten I owned. According to Lucy Siegle (ethical writer for the guardian and author), every woman owns roughly 22 items of clothing in her wardrobe that she’s never worn!

It was lots of fun to try on each other’s clothes. I could imagine some items in my wardrobe being worn by Lauren more often, so I was pleased that they might be used again. In the world today over 80 billion clothes are consumed a year, and a large percentage of that gets chucked out. Imagine how many clothes go to landfill, which could be reworn or fill the gap in someone else’s wardrobe.

At the end of our successful swap, we both had new-to-us clothes to wear that hadn’t cost us anything which is incredibly satisfying! However, even if you don’t know a person who wants to swap their clothes or has a similar style to you, there are other ways to exchange – ‘swishing’ being one (a public swapping event). You could find a swishing event near you or even organise one yourself. 'Stories Behind Things' is a London-based organisation that hosts eco-focused events, founded in 2016 by two friends. They host an event called 'The Big Clothes Switch' where you can swap and shop in their sustainable marketplace, whilst listening to a live DJ and munching on food - the second switch takes place today (23rd September 2017)!

           Next time we need to rediscover what we own, I think we'll have to do a clothes swap again...

                                                            Have you ever swapped any of your clothes?

    

                                                                                         Beccy x