Ever heard of the Art of Swishing? This popular clothes swapping event has gone global since 2009, and parties have taken place as far as Japan, South Africa, Sweden, Belgium, Tunisia, Chile, Mexico and the USA. We popped along to the House of Lords (oooh, get us!) yesterday afternoon for the launch of Swishing Week 2012, and to catch up with all our lovely fellow Swishettes.
Upon arrival we heard the familiar adage: “no scratching, spitting or biting please” and the Swish began! The edges of the room were filled with rails of pre-loved treasures and it felt like we were rifling through a high-end charity shop.
Baroness Lola Young, who hosted the event, told us: “We Swish to have fun and refresh our wardrobes, but also to remind ourselves that this is a better way to dispose of clothes than just throwing them in a landfills.” To date, it’s estimated that Swishing has stopped around 202,800kg of clothes from being sent to landfills!
Amongst the goods were barely-worn Prada shoes, exquisite vintage dresses and even an Ostrich bag! From bellbottoms to bracelets and Gap to Gucci, the spread was very impressive.
Lucy Shea from Futerra (the creators of Swishing) is almost halfway through her challenge to spend the year doing nothing but Swishing rather than buying any new clothes. She told us: ”It’s all about taking behaviours people do already and making them glamorous. And today we’re letting Swishing out of the closet in the House of Lords.
“We want to save the planet, but not in bad clothes!”
She later added that she thinks Swishing appeals to the thousands of women already involved because ”rather than talking about sacrifice and difficulty, it turns a necessity into something glamorous, fun and social.”
We had a wonderful time and walked away with a few fabulous treats too! If you’d like to throw your own Swish check out all our tips or attend one of the many awesome events held by Swishing.com
Here comes the science bit…
Global Cool wants you to lead a green and happy life. This article can help you to be green by:
1. Wearing vintage or pre-loved clothes instead of something new
2. Shopping at a great ethical clothing boutique like these ones here.
Pic: Swishing.com
