Ever Swished? Think you might want to try? Never heard of it?
Swishing is an ethical way of shopping, and an eco-friendly way of sprucing up your wardrobe.
Specially organised Swishing parties bring a bunch of friends or work colleagues together to swap clothes, shoes and accessories, without spending a single penny.
Grab something from your own wardrobe – something that looks good and is in at least near-tip-top condition, but you don't wear anymore – and take it along to a Swishing party. Then have a look through what everyone else has brought and choose something you like! It really is that simple.
You need to take a minimum of one item along (though some Swishing events may stipulate more), but of course, the more the better for everyone.
With statistics showing an increasing amount of household waste being made up of textiles – not to mention the huge amount of resources needed to produce the items – the environment is suffering more and more. Swishing parties, besides being fun, can help change this trend.
A Swishing party works on a number of levels:
- it keeps perfectly good clothes in circulation
- it puts a bit of life back in your wardrobe
- it helps you to clear out, in a responsible way, the
clothes/bags/shoes you never use anymore
- it's a chance to catch up with friends or maybe make some new ones
- it's kind to the planet
- it's kind to your bank account
Swishing parties tend to be geared towards women, but let's face it, there's nothing to stop blokes from organising one as well.
Swishing events can take place anywhere – someone's home, a bar, cafe, a community centre, even the workplace. There's usually a browsing session before everyone dives in (in a very polite manner, naturally), and depending on the organiser of the event, any items left unclaimed at the end of the party might be donated to a local charity shop.
So why not start rooting around your wardrobe to see what you can't squeeze into anymore, or alternatively pick out something that to you is "so last year" but to someone else might be "so next year".
To find out if there are any Swishing events happening near you, click
here.
There are a number of websites where you can find out more about Swishing,
here,
here and
here!
