According to BBC Earth, “This planet is suffocating because of our increasing desire for fast fashion and most of the industry still supports it making it one of the world’s biggest polluters. 3 out of 5 items end up in landfill within 12 months. So, let’s recycle and repurpose for a better world”.

 

What is a cloth swap? How can we contribute to fashion sustainably? I was one of the volunteers at Sustainable Fashion Clothing Swap & DIY Event in Project Farmhouse on Feb 24th that aims to not only pass on the information on mending, painting, denim workshops and several DIY’s but also successfully did the Clothing Swaps.

Willa & the ESA Team who had conducted the event as part of Refashion Week says that they would love to do it more like a community and more often so that not only people reuse in what we already have but can look good in them too, instead of grabbing the next fast fashion. Cameron Williams from Donate NYC told us about their ongoing Refashion Week with Goodwill and Salvation Army and their own Refashion Show happening today on Mar 1 (invite only).

Patrick Duffy – Founder GFX or Global Fashion Exchange (started in 2015) tells us at Impact Travel Alliance NYC  on how his own journey has been transformative from being considered as an outsider as a teen when dreaming about fashion was his favorite pastime and he would watch Artsy and Riviera Television shows to now being fulfilling his dream with a purpose conjuring the various connections he made down the line. From his journey from Minneapolis Minnesota where he was born and raised, to Milan as a casted model, to NYC where he found his tribe, he thought of creating a community and worked with world’s recognized brands. His “Aha” moment was when he flew to Copenhagen to view her friend’s work on Sustainable Fashion. 10 Years back sustainability was a hush hush thing! Today we all know about various adverse effects that includes several deaths in the factories of fashion brands where people are made to work in extremely poor conditions for extremely low wages”.

With all this comes our own awareness on where we are moving towards and if at all we are contributing to this which we are, and which isn’t ethical at all to communities which are suffering in our constant desire to look good externally. Mike, who I had done Garment district tours with, says, “Instead of using Primary Fabrics such as Wool, Cotton etc. we are currently having Polyester, Microfibers etc.”. And it’s so true, we have the mixed fabrics in plenty, and we are using thousands of Chemicals and Dyes. It polluted the water heavily. So, what do we do?

We have also been compromising the quality of fabrics in that whole desire to get cheap stuff. The cheap stuff leads us to buy more stuff, and that means that we are no longer wanting to preserve Quality Fabrics. We are in a rat race and its addictive. I am in this place too, wherein I would wish to contribute but at the same time I get enchanted every time I walk in the store. It’s lucrative to not want it.

And so, I felt that re-using and not completely eliminating the want and desire for clothes but investing in Quality clothes or participating in Cloth Swaps would be a great idea for us to not only completely zone out our creativity but also work on what’s already existing and has plenty of life left already. For example, my designer friend Philippe Valy creates his own style from reusable stuff, he has created artwork made out of scraps and has created dress out of plastic bags.

For example, at this cloth swap I met several folks who just pick up stuff and donate at Cloth Swapping events throughout the year. You don’t really have to invest new to look good, and one great advantage with Cloth Swaps, is we know it’s going to someone who wants it instead of being in a landfill. And I liked Project Farmhouse clothes swap because it was organized very well. The donated clothes were not only hanged in the hanger but were steam-ironed too and was placed color wise, so it was easier to pick up – all thanks to donors and various volunteers who were there!

And several of the clothes were as good as new, because to be honest, we don’t even use the clothes to full potential these days, we get bored of them before that. And even if some weren’t one can always use them in a crafty project to create something entirely new by patching them together or by creating a completely new style. So, cheers to more such sustainable fashion and swaps!

Meanwhile, enjoy pictures from the event and here’s what you need as a first-time volunteer:

  1. If you do have old clothes to swap, do bring them. You never know what can give others happiness!
  2. If you know how to mend, sew, recycle, tie-dye, denim work, help your community recycle.
  3. If you like something, pick it up fast, as the best clothes fly off very fast.
  4. Try something creative with them or donate it back to goodwill.

Ain’t they pretty?

We can learn how to do some stuff on our own and reuse our clothes.

O

Pairing make a big difference.

Oldie looks like a Goldie on her!

Battered and bruised pieces of clothes can be reused too by patching them with something else.

               I love this patchwork jacket.

                                                                                     So, let’s paint.