August 2008
Why throw away anything when you can swap it? So try searching cyberspace for a waste-free wardrobe.
Is your wardrobe full of things you never wear, such as 'when I'm thinner/fatter' items or a 'never-wear-but-too-good-to-throw-away' pile? Or are you hankering after a new look but don't have the budget to hit the shops?
There's no need to suffer either version of fashion hell, thanks to the new breed of online portals uniting needy clotheshorses with their fashion nirvana - often without a penny changing hands. These sites are an eco-friendly way to help clothe the nation on the cheap, turning used clothing (the country's fastest growing waste stream, with only one item re-used for every eight sold) into a valuable currency. And they're making a lot of fashion-lovers very happy along the way!
If you need to restock your fashion fund, www.ebay.co.uk can turn unwanted items into easy cash. You can spend your earnings on second hand or hand-crafted treasures on the same site. But don't get seduced into buying counterfeit designer trash or you'll end up with more tat on your hands.
Sites such as www.craigslist.org and www.freecycle.org work on a similar principle, but little or no money changes hands. Simply sign up to a local group and post details of items you're giving away or looking for. With everything from tumble-driers to carpet offcuts available, it may take some time to find your perfect vintage handbag, though.
For more focused clothes swapping, find some soulmates in one of the growing number of online fashion-swapping communities. Of these, www.whatsmineisyours.com was the first site dedicated to swapping fashion. Its founder, Judy Berger, wanted to create "a community between like-minded style addicts, and to make it easy to consume and indulge whilst remaining eco-conscious". Awash with high-end brand names, it's ideal for fashionistas, with fabulously distinctive pieces they'll only wear once used as currency to be exchanged on the site.
At www.fashionspace.com you can buy, sell or swap independently designed, vintage or second hand fashion, and network with other fashion-lovers, too. Don't be intimidated by the obvious in-crowd blogs from high-end fashion obsessives. With an option to swap pet clothing and accessories, the site's got something for everyone.
www.bigwardrobe.com has taken things a step further by introducing clothes 'schwopping' - swapping, buying, or combining the two, to secure 'must-have' items. This fun site caters for men and children as well as women. One user announces: "I'm the queen of buyer's remorse, so I love bigwardrobe.com!" But be prepared – another warns: "I got so excited I had to breathe slowly into a Kookai bag."
If you'd rather try on items before you swap, try a swapping event. www.visaswap.com organises the world's biggest fashion-swapping event each year. If you've missed this three-week chance to swap your clothes and accessories, try organising your own 'swishing' or 'swag' party, bringing friends together to swap gorgeous clothes and party at the same time. Konnie Huq was blown away by her first swishing experience: "Whatever you've got to swap, a swag party takes second hand clothing to a new level." Visit www.swishing.org.
Joanna Yarrow is a broadcaster, writer and consultant specialising in green living. She's GMTV's eco expert and presented BBC Three's Outrageous Wasters
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