Living Lab Intern Luciana writes about the dangers fast fashion poses to the environment. To fight this, Luciana and fellow Living Lab Space Facilitator Intern Poppy organised a clothes swap, to highlight how seemingly small actions fight against climate change.
How a YSJ clothes swap is tackling fast fashion
Who hasn’t got some clothes buried deep and forgotten in their wardrobe or drawers, and yet succumbs to the temptation of getting a brand-new top, jeans, or jumper? I think that’s a situation everyone has found themselves in at least a few times, and there is nothing wrong with treating ourselves with a new outfit item every once in a while. However, that “new” item doesn’t always need to be fresh out of the tags and hangers of a shop. It can be swapped for something another person doesn’t use anymore, giving their item a second chance and yours the opportunity to find a new home.
Some of the clothes available at the swap
The damage that fast fashion causes on our planet, water, energy, and society is unmeasurable. “According to an analysis by Business Insider, fashion production comprises 10% of total global carbon emissions, as much as the emissions generated by the European Union” (earth.org). That is terrifying to even think about! And yet a stoplight for this problem appears to be non-existent. On the contrary, the numbers rise year after year.
To help fight issues like this, it is important that everyone does their bit. Even the smallest of efforts can bring surprising outcomes. That’s why Poppy and I, Luciana, recently organised and hosted a Clothes Swap in collaboration with YSJ’s LGBTQ+ society at the Living Lab Hub as part of our internship as Living Lab space facilitators. The event was open to all YSJ students and staff who wanted to pop in, bring some clothes they don’t use anymore, and take some other ones in exchange.
We advertised the event through posters hung around the university, social media posts, and by spreading the word, and a good number of people ended up participating and popping along. We ended up with more clothes than we started with, and since the beginning we had in mind a few new purposes for them. Part of the clothes will be donated to charity shops, extending the idea of giving old clothes a new purpose and home whilst monetarily supporting good causes. The remaining clothes will be used in the second YSJ Living Lab Crafternoon event, this time with the purpose of creating tote bags, upcycling the clothes as the main materials. For future climate-conscious events keep an eye on the Living Lab website or Instagram!
When it comes to helping our planet, every single action towards a more sustainable future counts and has an impact, as small as the action may seem. It’s a matter of time before the choice to help becomes an obligation, so we better do our best to help soon.
