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An environmentally conscious event encouraging islanders to swap clothes instead of buying new outfits ahead of Christmas has generated such support from islanders that it has sold out.
Organised by Eco Active and a local Plasticarian - someone who lives with as little plastic in their lives as possible – the Christmas Clothes Swap will be taking place tonight at Jersey Museum.
Islanders were invited to bring pre-loved party clothes and shoes, and swap them for something ‘new-to-you’ just in time for the festive party season.
Eco Active said that on average, people wear 20% of their clothes 80% of the time while the rest just sits in drawers and wardrobes.
The event therefore aimed to encourage people to swap pre-loved party clothes instead of buying new. “It is a chance to potentially save money, save space in your wardrobe and reduce your carbon footprint,” the team said.
For each item islanders bring tonight they will receive a token they can exchange for one of the items brought by others, without spending any money.
The launch of the event follows the decision of the States Assembly to declare a Climate Emergency earlier this year. “Reducing the amount we buy and consume will reduce our global carbon footprint,” the Eco Active said.
A number of initiatives have been launched to encourage islanders to shop ‘preloved’ items instead of hitting the high street.
Pictured: Jersey Hospice Care's Preloved to Reloved pop-up show in Liberty Wharf.
Jersey Hospice Care opened two pop-up shops in Liberty Wharf, offering a selection of shoes, clothes, handbags and accessories from designer brands - without the designer price tag.
Preloved to Reloved’s first aim was to raise funds for the charity but Senior Manager, Julie Jubb, said she was glad to be promoting second-hand fashion, which is a more sustainable option for the environment.
“Every week, 11million items of clothing end up in landfill,” she explained. “Choosing to buy preloved clothes is kinder to the environment and your wallet, getting more wear out of clothes which might otherwise only be worn once and then thrown away.
"We are trying our best to keep things out of landfill. If we get items that are not saleable, we have a recycling outlet we can send them too in the UK.”
Pictured: Emily organised a sustainable fashion show in November.
Last month, local fashion lover Emily Smith organised a sustainable fashion show using outfits from charity shops.
The event helped raise over £1,000 for Silkworth Lodge Charity Group, Cancer Research, Jersey Hospice Care and Oxfam Jersey, while also highlighting the variety of second hand clothes available in the island.
Emily organised the event to challenge others to change their habits and highlight the impact fast fashion has on the environment.
“In Jersey alone, it is estimated that if every person throws away approximately 1 tonne of rubbish per year, that means everyone will throw away 21kg of clothes every year,” she explained.
“...Buying one new white cotton shirt produces the same emissions as driving a car for 35 miles and the emissions from all the new clothes bought in the UK each month are greater than those from flying a plane around the world 900 times.”
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