A virgin swapper's first time
Clothes swapping events are sweeping the land as the sustainable alternative to our consumerist throw-away culture. Mark Saunokonoko went along to one to experience the trend first hand.
The invitation had been a no brainer; take as little as one item to a clothing swap and walk away with as many clothes as I fancied - for zero pence.
The reality, however, when it arrived, was a rather scarier proposition. On the eve of heading off to hybird’s Feather Duster clothing swap, my stomach started to fill with something approaching a sense of dread.
The thing was, this clothing swap was this time being held at London College of Fashion, who were donning an ever so fashionable eco-friendly hat to promote their Green Week.
Now I like fashion and enjoy stepping into my wardrobe every morning, but all of a sudden I found myself beginning to question my own sense of style. This was, after all, London College of Fashion, a haven for the capital’s finest up and coming fashionistas.
The reality, however, when it arrived, was a rather scarier proposition. On the eve of heading off to hybird’s Feather Duster clothing swap, my stomach started to fill with something approaching a sense of dread.
The thing was, this clothing swap was this time being held at London College of Fashion, who were donning an ever so fashionable eco-friendly hat to promote their Green Week.
Now I like fashion and enjoy stepping into my wardrobe every morning, but all of a sudden I found myself beginning to question my own sense of style. This was, after all, London College of Fashion, a haven for the capital’s finest up and coming fashionistas.
Crisis of confidence?
What if every thing I took to the swap was still there at the end? Undisturbed, untouched and unwanted, like an old, eager dog at the pound? I hesitantly packed an unloved jersey, two t-shirts and a hardly worn All Saints shirt into a plastic Tesco bag, before coming to my senses and stuffing them inside a paper carrier bag.
Rachael Stewart, co-founder of promoter Hybird, assured me that there was no need to worry. The whole point of Feather Duster, she said, was to rid my closet of things I no longer wore and recycle them with someone else’s unwanted wares. OK, so a pet might not be just for Christmas, but clothes could be.
Rachael Stewart, co-founder of promoter Hybird, assured me that there was no need to worry. The whole point of Feather Duster, she said, was to rid my closet of things I no longer wore and recycle them with someone else’s unwanted wares. OK, so a pet might not be just for Christmas, but clothes could be.
Disposable fashion
She then rattled off a series of alarming figures that had inspired the idea of Feather Duster clothing swaps in response to what she describes as the throw away fashion trend.
Every year UK consumers purchase 2.15 million tonnes of new clothing, shoes and accessories, and, in that very same year, throw away more than 900,000 million items – yes, 900,000 million.
Rachael added that even if, God forbid, all my clothes were left behind, they would simply be bagged up and taken away by charity shop TRAID.
Around a room milling with fellow swappers were a dozen tables stacked high with clothes, accessories and shoes, rails of hanging dresses and jackets, and a projector screen playing episodes of The Wombles while DJ Marshmellow Mike of Bestival and Glastonbury’s Lost Vagueness spun tunes in the background.
Every year UK consumers purchase 2.15 million tonnes of new clothing, shoes and accessories, and, in that very same year, throw away more than 900,000 million items – yes, 900,000 million.
Rachael added that even if, God forbid, all my clothes were left behind, they would simply be bagged up and taken away by charity shop TRAID.
Around a room milling with fellow swappers were a dozen tables stacked high with clothes, accessories and shoes, rails of hanging dresses and jackets, and a projector screen playing episodes of The Wombles while DJ Marshmellow Mike of Bestival and Glastonbury’s Lost Vagueness spun tunes in the background.
Chilled not stressed
Tables were categorised into various types of garments with beautiful handcrafted signs of the kind you might see at a quaint seaside fairground.
Swappers were stepping on to a Style Off stage to pose for Polaroids in various eclectic ensembles they had snaffled that would later be judged by Vogue.com editor Dolly Jones. The changing room was draped in leopard print material, on which hung a sign - I Swap Therefore I Am.
After years of acclimatisation through 'normal' shopping, I wasn’t quite sure what to do next. I was prodded into action with a simple set of instructions. Put your stuff on the table, find what you like, and take it home.
Despite what is essentially a free for all, there was no IKEA-like opening madness. Shopping can be such a selfish, solo pleasure – but the ambience here was entirely different. It was like a sunny day at a trendy market, where stalls give away everything for free to a gathering of like-minded people.
A woollen tank top, jacket, zip up top and pair of shorts later, and I found myself looking enviously at the womens’ tables, which were continually being replenished as swarms of females arrived laden with armloads of clothes throughout the two hour swap.
Swappers were stepping on to a Style Off stage to pose for Polaroids in various eclectic ensembles they had snaffled that would later be judged by Vogue.com editor Dolly Jones. The changing room was draped in leopard print material, on which hung a sign - I Swap Therefore I Am.
After years of acclimatisation through 'normal' shopping, I wasn’t quite sure what to do next. I was prodded into action with a simple set of instructions. Put your stuff on the table, find what you like, and take it home.
Despite what is essentially a free for all, there was no IKEA-like opening madness. Shopping can be such a selfish, solo pleasure – but the ambience here was entirely different. It was like a sunny day at a trendy market, where stalls give away everything for free to a gathering of like-minded people.
A woollen tank top, jacket, zip up top and pair of shorts later, and I found myself looking enviously at the womens’ tables, which were continually being replenished as swarms of females arrived laden with armloads of clothes throughout the two hour swap.
Green is the new black
London College of Fashion’s Green Week had been hinged on the question - is green the new black? The answer is clearly yes.
If we all have to do our bit to save the planet, then attending a wonderful event like the Feather Duster clothes swap, which is all about recycling and rejecting rampant consumerism, is an invitation that is impossible to refuse.
As for my clothes, I couldn’t resist a quick audit of the mens’ table as everything was being bagged for charity at the end. Two items remained. All things green considered, a grade of 50% from the London College of Fashion would do just nicely.
If we all have to do our bit to save the planet, then attending a wonderful event like the Feather Duster clothes swap, which is all about recycling and rejecting rampant consumerism, is an invitation that is impossible to refuse.
As for my clothes, I couldn’t resist a quick audit of the mens’ table as everything was being bagged for charity at the end. Two items remained. All things green considered, a grade of 50% from the London College of Fashion would do just nicely.
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