swishing

During a discussion with my eco-minded friend who lives in England, she shared with me a trend that is all the rage in the UK amongst those who are living a sustainable lifestyle - swishing.

Courtesy of swishing.org

Swishing is the ultimate in reducing, reusing and recycling. Essentially swishing is a gathering of girlfriends in an upbeat, party-like atmosphere with the purpose of clothes swapping. Attendees arrive with one good quality item of their clothing or an accessory they no longer want/wear and leave with a new item from the pool of items brought by their friends. It's a win-win! You end up with a new piece to add to your wardrobe, without having to spend anything, and you have managed to put your old clothes to good use!

The website swishing.org has great information on upcoming swishing events - unfortunately, it seems the parties listed are exclusive to the United Kingdom. I couldn't find swishing in the US but I did find a great resource here in the US that takes swishing even one step further! Swap O Rama by Wendy Tremayne organizes events throughout the US. (I was surprised to see that an event had taken place right here in Knoxville!) Not only does a swap o rama encourage an exchange of clothing, these events have sewing machines and DIY stations where you can revamp your newly acquired item. A fashion show concludes the event!

In 2009, I challenge Lu, Am, myself and all of our readers to host an event! The possibilities are endless - wedding themed swishes, children's clothing swishes, etc! It's easier than you think. Swishing.org gives details on how to host an event including an invitation template. You may contact Wendy Tremayne via email to solicit her expertise in hosting a Swap O Rama event.

If you have participated in an event like this or are planning on accepting our challenge, please let us hear from you! We'd love to post pictures!

Cheers, Kimberly