With the holiday season approaching, many of us will be itching to buy new dresses and jackets to impress friends and family come Christmas Day. It’s natural to want to look your best for those you probably haven’t seen all year!
Unfortunately, a tight student budget means that for most of us, the only way to afford hot new threads for is to trawl the sale racks of H&M…. right? Wrong!
Enter: the Green Office. We understand how important it is to look your best over the holiday season, but we were determined to ensure that no-one in Amsterdam would have to turn to environmentally-catastrophic, unethical fast fashion to update their wardrobe. Not to mention, we were going to do it cheaper.
Given this sensational promise, on the first Saturday in December over 150 keen fashion-fans flocked to CREA for our much-anticipated Clothing Swap: Christmas Edition! The day (which was in collaboration with the Students for Sustainability Amsterdam) started off with a bang, with queues literally out the door while we sorted, assessed and priced hundreds of items for the swap. Students and Amsterdam locals alike stood in line, each armed with bags of gorgeous clothes that were looking for a new home and new love.
The swap was simple: bring items, get tickets in exchange for items (more tickets for more valuable/more exclusive brands), spend tickets on clothes left by others! We had tables overflowing with tops, skirts and jeans, and racks bursting with jackets and dresses. The Christmas music was pumping over the speaker, and we had stalls from the HUNY premix brownie brand, the Amsterdam Vegan Student Association, and the Cece project for any swappers interested in learning a little more about other sustainable projects in Amsterdam.
At the end of a crazy three hours, us Green Office members were thrilled to have seen such a staggering number of people renew their wardrobe without purchasing a single item. We swept the floor and stacked away tables with big smiles, knowing that all of the swapped items were going to have their life extended by many more wears and could probably eventually be swapped again.
Big thanks to CREA for hosting us, the SFSA for their collaboration, and everyone who attended in good spirits. All leftover clothing was donated to the Rataplan kringloop and will hopefully be re-homed as well.