“Swishing parties are for all those women who want to combine glamour, environmental protection and frugality” according to Lucy Shea, the founder of Swishing [1]. Swishing originated in the US in the 90s and is basically clothes swapping that can occur in large organised events or smaller private gatherings with friends. The production and disposal of clothing accounts for between 2 and 10% of consumers’ overall environmental burden [2], so any initiatives that reduce the need for more garments to be produced need encouragement.
How Does Swishing Work?
Everyone should bring at least one good quality item of clothing to swap that they no longer want to a Swishing event. After a browsing period, you can then select any donated items that you wish to own. Obviously if you attend a more formal large Swishing event, then the rules will be enforced more strictly, but the basics (or “rules of the rail”) are:
- 1. Everyone must bring at least one item of quality clothing.
- 2. You will have half an hour to browse before the Swish opens.
- 3. No item may be claimed before the swish opens.
- 4. As soon as the Swish is declared open, everyone may take what they want.
- 5. There should be no scratching, spitting or fighting!
The Benefits
The main benefit of Swishing is that you can claim yourself a new wardrobe without having to pay high street prices which seem to always be rising. Donating your unwanted clothing is an effective way of disposing of it, rather than sending usable garments to landfill. It has been estimated that the majority of clothing sent to landfill still has 70% of its useful life left [3] so disposing of it in this way is a terrible waste if someone else could love your garment. Not only are there environmental benefits from Swishing, but it’s great fun and sociable too. If you’re particularly crafty then there is a great opportunity to accessorise or alter garments to create a unique look[4].
Some Tips
Remember that the clothes are free, so you shouldn’t expect a perfect garment. Instead, be creative and think about how you could customise it to make it more unique and how you want it. Make sure you’re ruthless in discarding items you don’t think you’ll wear, it’s a waste for it to hang in your wardrobe when someone else may be able to make good use of it.
If you want to get involved with swishing, either by holding your own event or attending an organised one, then there are specific websites to advertise on. You can visit the official Swishing calendar (http://www.swishing.org/events/) or search online for independent events near you. As Swishing has become more popular, there are now online clothes swapping sites available where you can browse and swap at your leisure.
[1] http://www.swishing.org/about_swishing/
[2] EIPRO (2006). Environmental impacts of products. Analysis of the life cycle environmental impacts related to the final consumption of the EU-25. European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies.
[3] Woolridge, Anne., Ward, Garth., Phillips, Paul., Collins, Michael.,Gandy, Simon. (2007) Life cycle assessment for reuse/recycling of donated waste textiles compared to use of virgin material: An UK energy saving perspective. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 46 pp.94-103.
[4] http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Resources/Features/Features-archive/Let-your-clothes-live-on
