What the heck is a swish?
And do I need to put my keys in a bowl?
Well you can if you like but you will be at the wrong event darling. Try the 'swinging' at number 72.
Swishing is nothing new, we've been doing it for years and it's just another way to think more sustainably about your wardrobe. Cyclical fashion is on the rise and what it means is that more and more manufacturers of clothing are recognising that consumers want quality of the long lasting variety. When we own our clothes for a long time, and actually wear them lots, we get maximum value for our money. But we're human and we do get bored.
When wardrobe boredom sets in, swishing is a great way to mix things up a bit at no extra cost to you or the planet. Swishing events can take many guises but essentially it is an opportunity to take items you are no longer feeling joy from and swap them with 'new to you' items someone else is no longer wearing. This can be a few friends getting together and throwing all their 'unwanteds' into a pile or it can be a larger scale planned event like the one I am involved in with the team at The Kiln in Worcester.
As the consequences of fashion consumerism rise there has been a steady increase in the consideration of charity shops and pre-loved selling sites but we still need to be mindful of the fast churn of cheap fast fashion and it's damaging impact on the planet. Coupled with an economic crisis and the tightening of budgets it is understandable why people opt for 'cheap' over quality. Education is needed to coach people away from nasty over-producing brands and into a more affordable means of accessing quality over quantity. Enter the pre-loved market.
I have seen it many a time however where my clients tell me they buy most of their clothes pre-loved yet STILL have wardrobes bursting at the seams. The habitual need to shop still needs to be tackled. If it is the newness of items that gives you a buzz then swishing is a great way to fulfil this need without the consequences of simply having too much 'stuff'.
Imagine guilt-free acquisition of new clothes whereby items cycle in and out of your wardrobe. Boredom is kept at bay, you just keep spending the same pot of money, one item in equals one item out. The better quality the item the more likely it is to be swished over and over and over again.
I bet if you got a group of friends together you'll find collectively you have a shop's worth of items to rummage through. So next time you think you 'need' something new think about swishing some of those items you already have that you thought you 'needed' then didn't! When you really do need 'new' you will have more money to spend on it meaning you can get really good quality and maybe see it as serving a time in your wardrobe before moving on to someone else's.
Buy less, wear more, swish it = more money, more value, more opportunities to share. This is why you need to 'swish'.
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