News
Swish your way to a new wardrobe!
This feature was added on 26th October 2010
A wardrobe clear out; free clothes; a chance to help a charity and have a fun night out, all whilst helping the environment. This is the concept behind 'Swishing.'
Swishing can be a small scale get-together among friends or family or bigger charity events. Each person brings along one or more items of clothing to swap. Everyone then looks through the items and selects what they would like. Many parties have time for trying on garments too. Some larger events include shoes and other accessories, meaning you really could get a whole new outfit for free, and supports the Reuse message currently high on the Hertfordshire Waste Partnership’s agenda.
The name swishing comes from the definition 'movement of silk' and is a fun way to pass on good quality clothing. As trends change quickly the amount of textiles we discard is growing. More often than not unwanted clothes find their way into the black bin, which means they are destined for landfill.
Swishing and passing clothing on extends their use which is great for the environment. Up to seven tons of water and seven kilos of carbon dioxide are needed to make one kilo of cotton. Up to 95% of clothes that are thrown away could be recycled. Jenny Hynes who recently attended a swishing event in Letchworth said, 'Passing on clothes is not a new concept. The swishing event I attended was lots of fun; I managed to pass on some clothes and happily walked away with a lovely dress and all for free!'
If you cannot find a swishing event near you, all of your good quality clothing, shoes and accessories will be welcomed by your local charity shop which will sell them for good causes. Textiles are accepted at all 18 Household Waste Recycling Centers and textile bring banks are also available across Hertfordshire.
More information on Swishing is available here.