The Clothing Exchange

Do you want a new wardrobe? Do you not have the pennies? Are you wanting to get rid of your old clothes? Are you hoping to make some green-minded changes to your lifestyle?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions then the Clothing Exchange is the event for you. Not only do swappers nab new pieces for nix, they do so without contributing to landfill, overflowing their wardrobes or circulating unwanted goods into struggling third world economies.

"You don't have to buy new garments to be fashionable," says DIY fashionista Suzi Edmonds. "Just re-work an existing piece. You can swap, remake or customise anything."

Edmonds and Kirsten Fredericks are the Sydney coordinators of Australia-wide swap event the Clothing Exchange, and the pair are passionate about DIY fashion. Their events, which are as much geared towards sustainability as they are shoestring style, allow swappers to trade up to ten pre-loved garments for fresh wardrobe additions.

"The items are usually clothes that don't fit, or that people haven't bothered to try on in the store," Fredericks explains. "Each item is exchanged for a button which will later act as shopping currency. After checking in their garments, the swappers go away and have a glass of wine while Suzi and I set up the swap like a clothing store and when they return it's time to shop."

Those who don't find the perfect piece can customise garments to fit their needs. "I often get clothes at the swap and then take them to a tailor and get them altered," suggests Fredericks. "I'll get a daggy, old-lady's dress from the 70s and get it taken in or a new collar added. Older fabrics are much better quality."

On Saturday August 18, the girls from the Clothing Exchange will be popping up in Surry Hills Library. Get Swapping!