We all have that secret stash of clothes stowed away at the back of our wardrobes gathering dust. The question is what do we do with this pile? What if you could de-clutter your wardrobe, and have a completely new set of clothes in a day?
Over the last four years, Bengaluru has hosted what’s called a ‘Clothes Swapping Party’, a new, interactive and fun way to revamp your wardrobe. These events aim at becoming clothes libraries. This is how it works: The pile from the closet is brought to the venue; the organisers then value it in terms of brand, quality, and condition; and in return give the swapper tokens or coins with which they can shop for clothes from other swappers.
It is well-known that the fashion industry is the second most polluting in the world. By swapping, you not only reduce the number of natural resources needed to produce new garments, you also increase the lifespan of that product.
Clothary, one of Bengaluru’s first clothes swapping platforms, was conceptualised by a Spanish-German named Isabella Escobedo in 2015. Fascinated by the growing sustainable mindset of India’s metropolis, Clothary (which is no longer active) organised a swapping party in Indiranagar in June 2015, as a way of showing the public that fashion and sustainability are no longer matters of contradiction.
The following year Shenomics, a company that deals with leadership coaching for women organised a one-time event, ‘Conscious Closet Party’, on the occasion of Women’s Day at the Yogisthaan Cafe.
In December 2017, Recode, a store that deals with pre-loved clothes organized ‘SwapSwag’ in Inorbit Mall, Whitefield. The success of this prompted them to have a follow-up in February 2018. “This is a sustainable and cost-efficient way to restock your wardrobe,” says Pooja Sukhija, the founder of Recode. “Shopping with points is a guilt-free experience and provides instant gratification” she adds.
Dhawal Mane is a textile sustainability specialist and GreenBiz Leader awardee. Inspired by a swap he made with a friend, Dhawal did some research on alternative models of clothing consumption and came across the concept of clothes swapping. He reached out to Global Fashion Exchange (GFX) and Fashion Revolution who together appointed Mane as their ambassador in India. With their support, he conducted a successful swap event in Bangalore. GFX is a US-based organisation that aims at promoting sustainability in the fashion industry through inspiring forums, educational content and cultural events. Its partner Fashion Revolution is a not-for-profit global movement that mirrors the same goals.
“I know that India is not just a fashion hub for manufacturing but also offers a huge market,” says Dhawal. “There is a lot of talk about sustainable fashion but it is also about what I do with the products I have now. How do I care more about my garment? What do I do with products I don’t want any more but are perfectly fine?”
Clothes Swap BLR With GFX and FashRev, conducted during the Fashion Revolution Week, was held last month at Lahe Lahe, Indiranagar. The event brought in a collection of 500 garments and 110 kg of clothes. Dhawal hopes to regularise this event on a quarterly basis. “We need consistency to encourage this activity of swapping over shopping,” says Dhawal.
To many, the idea of wearing someone else’s clothes could be unpalatable. This, in fact, seems to be the biggest hindrance in allowing the growth of such events. Sudha, one of the swappers at the Lahe Lahe event says, “I was hesitant at first; I went in with 10 items and was worried I wouldn’t be able to find 10 new items that I liked.” She was pleasantly surprised to leave with 10 nice pieces. Meera, who visited with her friend said, “We gave in four items and came back with six. It was a great experience and the vibe was really nice. Even though I was hesitant to wear someone else’s clothes at first, I was happy in the end.”
All such events had similar rules: the clothes shouldn’t be worn out or damaged and were all to be brought in washed and pressed, ready for exchange. The organiser’s only philosophy was – bring what you are willing to take back.
The goal of the advocates of clothes swapping is to regularise such events in an attempt to make fashion sustainable and affordable, by breaking the conventional patterns of the retail industry. Focusing on conscious consumption and on the latest trends, swapping events try to imitate a walk-in wardrobe, where swapping becomes the new shopping.
