Because our planet IS heating up – owing largely to our fashion consumption choices. Swapping is a convenient, pragmatic and fun way to be chic and make our planet ‘cooler’ while we’re at it!
What’s all the fuss about you ask? What’s so great about swapping? The Swap Squad at Swapaholic has 7 compelling reasons for you to give swapping a shot!
1. Put Marie Kondo’s advice to practical use
You might have binge-watched the whole season of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix, and experienced a whiff of guilt for the mountain of unused things you’ve accumulated over time. Well, you’re not alone. The average person, yes you included, only uses 20% of their closets!
If you’re not familiar with the Konmari Method, her tidying tactics encourage us to only keep items that ‘spark joy’ in our lives and let go of the rest.
Swapping gives you an outlet to declutter fast fashion items that no longer spark joy, and replace them with things that do!
2. Open your fashion game up to a whole new world of unique possibilities
Imagine this. Hundreds of stylish individuals coming together, contributing a mashup of clothing and accessories for all types of occasions. Think #Girlboss workwear, #TGIF girls night out, prom night, wild night on the town, brunch chic, beach escapade, romantic movie date – you name it. It’s essentially one ENORMOUS wardrobe that even Carrie Bradshaw would be jealously binge-watching!
So instead of skimming through your personal wardrobe, staring at the usual suspects, and still having nothing to wear, you can now unlock endless unique options. Endless options to express your originality has got to be alluring to a creative fashionista! But if not, read on…
3. Become a fashionable superhero for our planet.
If you aren’t feeling guilty every time you buy clothes while your closet is bursting at its seams, you should! Fashion is the second largest polluting industry for many, many reasons, so take your pick! Do you care that your fashion items in landfills emit greenhouse gases as they decompose, contributing towards global warming? Or that a single pair of jeans takes almost 7000 litres of water to produce? Or that fast fashion produces cheap clothes almost every week, most of which are burnt in an environmentally damaging process called incineration?
80% of clothes being hoarded in your items can go a long way in helping our planet (and our future generations). By swapping instead of throwing or buying more, you can put these resources to great use in slowing down the fashion cycle.
And best of all you get to look fantastic while you play superhero on our planet!
Here’s a sneak peek at some swapalicious superheroes who are paving the way.
4. Pay tribute to the makers of our clothes
You’re not just saving the planet by swapping, you’re protecting global communities too! Boy, are you swapalicious!
On 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed killing and injuring thousands. This woke the industry and its stakeholders up to the horrific condition in which our clothes are made. Our clothes are made in ‘sweatshops’ by women and children workers who have no dignity, low pay and extremely poor work conditions.
Still feeling excited about your latest, cheap purchase? We thought not. Extending the life of your garments through swapping helps slow down the demand for items that have to be produced under these awful conditions. And yes, your choice has the power to shape the future of the fashion industry. And the most wonderful thing of all is that you don’t have to compromise your style to play your part!
5. Save some money!
Swapping provides access to fashionable pieces at a fraction of the cost. At e.g. Swapaholic, you don’t pay per item. You simply pay us a teeny service fee for the hard work we do to quality check and curate the collections for you.
We’ve all harboured the misconception of “thrifted” or “pre-loved” items to be hand-me-downs in poor condition. At most swapping outlets, the swap police scrutinise every single piece to ensure it’s swapalicious before it goes through the algorithm to get assigned points.
Sustainable, Fashionable and Cost saving? There’s more, keep reading!
6. It’s a whole lot of fun!
Ever been to a swap party? Your closet’s treasures are truly respected. The Swapaholic parties are organised just like pop up stores according to size, colour or even stylist curations! Changing rooms, donations from the coolest brands, influencer’s closets, live music and many more swapalicious surprises.
7. It teaches you to be creative
Not all clothes pass the checks. But that doesn’t mean rejected items should be trashed! With tactful alterations, a pre-loved garment can be given a new lease of life! At Earth Fest 2019, Swapaholic turned garments not fit to be worn, into Swapalicious tassel earrings and coveted flower brooches.
Every fashion choice you make today is a vote towards our planet’s future. So the next time you feel like some retail therapy stop, think and swap till you drop for a fashionable yet green future!
Itching for Swap o’clock?
Swapaholic is a clothing & accessory swap that helps declutter & refresh your closet; without hurting your wallet & our planet. As a former shopaholic (turned Swapaholic), co-founder Priyanka Shahra was shocked to learn of the colossal environmental and social hazards that exist through the textile lifecycle as late as 2015. Being from a fairly exposed and well-educated background, it came as a surprise that someone like her was unaware of such a significant fact. Whilst pursuing a Certificate in Sustainability and a parallel Masters Degree in Strategic Design Management, she began to study the industry and quickly learnt that there were many others like her in cosmopolitan milieus who were shielded from this knowledge.
Swapaholic was born to create an alternate platform for fashion lovers like herself to be able to express their personal style without compromising our planet. Swapaholic Priyanka believes that fashion doesn’t have to cost the earth – literally
