December 21, 2009
So the end of the year has come! The Clothing Exchange has had an amazing 2009 all thanks to the stack of support we have received from our eager swappers who are now spreading across the country in Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne. Thankyou for all of your support over the past year and we look forward to offering you so much more swapping goodness in 2010! The most note worthy is The Clothing Exchange’s 5th year of swapping events with LOreal Melbourne Fashion Festival. So stay tuned for further updates as the website and blog get updated during the january chill out month… and remember don’t consume it hurts
Kate & Juliette
December 10, 2009
A small but enthusiastic gathering of swappers came together on the evening of 24 Nov at Hotel Northbridge for the second Perth Clothing Exchange event.
Morph Me Image Consultants were on hand to dispense their invaluable style advice to the swappers and generously supplied the lucky door prize which was won by Jodie Ween – Congratulations Jodie!
We look forward to seeing everyone next year at the February swap, in the meantime, have a wonderful and safe Christmas and New Year.
November 29, 2009
www.lydra.com.au
As Christmas is coming thick and fast, we thought it best to alert you all to the lovely clutches created by Melbourne Designer Linda Vydra. 
Linda is strongly driven and passionate about fashion and sustainability, while wanting to be a part of the movement towards a positive change for the environment. Linda is the creator of Lydra which was born out of a need for greater individuality in a world of increasing mass production and conscious disregard for nature.
Lydra is a bespoke clutch purse, which draws the eye & captures the imagination! All products are made from pre-loved fabrics such as shirts, bed throws, pillowcases, scarves and table clothes. Products are produced and sourced locally with a strong emphasis on the preservation of our environment.
November 27, 2009
The team from Sydney went north last Saturday to join forces with Manly Council and their ‘Green Up Your Life’ team. We had a great selection of cool vintage / retro wares mixed in with sequinned disco tops, jeans, suits, funky beach apparel and the occassional high end designer label. It never ceases to please me when someone is always willing to part with their Burberry trench or Louis Vuiton heels and is happy to take home a cool summer dress or great fitting pair of jeans. Thankyou to Sonya and Claire from Manly Council who are keen supporters of a more greener and sustainable lifestyle for the local community. Their generosity of their time and effort they put into this fun and exhilerating event shone through leaving everyone feeling satisfied and happy with their new acquisitions to their wardrobe (including a complimentary native plant kindly donated by the green thumb department of the Council).
We will be back East for our December swap on Saturday the 12th. You’ll find us at the very cool Eastern Hotel in Bondi Junction, 500 Oxford St, Level 5 at 2.30pm. Come and enjoy a great afternoon of swapping and a cool relaxing beverage. Book tickets online to avoid missing out.
November 27, 2009
Tomorrow 28th November is Buy Nothing Day where everyone is encouraged to stop consuming and focus on the better things in life. It was started in 1992 in Vancouver by Adbusters as a way of protesting against consumerism that can run rampant in our society, it is now a worldwide event.
Special events have been organised in Sydney and Melbourne, so go along and support this worthwhile form of activism, as for every dollar you spend is your vote for what exists in this world.
And remember Swap don’t Shop.
November 2, 2009
This October, swapping went West as The Clothing Exchange launched in Perth. The inaugural swap was held at Hotel Northbridge on Tuesday 27 October 2009 and was well attended. Morph Me Image Consultants were on hand to offer style advice to the ladies while they sipped on their bubbly prior to the swap commencing. After a short welcome and ‘how to participate’ speech, the ladies of Perth got to swapping. It was a great event with many happy faces and ladies leaving with armfuls of lovely new clothes to love! Many thanks to our wonderful volunteers Sam, Elise, Carlie, Deanne and Dana who worked so hard to make the event run smoothly.
October 20, 2009
On Sunday just passed, as a keen team of three we jumped in the new Clothing Exchange van and headed for Nunawading Civic Centre. We were happy to reunite with Kate Patkin and Kirsten Friend- the wonderful women who ensure that the Whitehorse City Council precinct has a great festive time. The Spring Festival was the order of the sunny day with the centre filled to the brim with stalls and entertainment. Shame we were scheduled for the same time as Vasily as we would have like to learn more about his garden! It was a smooth-running swap for a nice diverse crowd, with grannies bringing their vintage nightgowns to swap for the young ladies casual wear. The denim seemed the highlight as many happy swappers left with new jeans amongst their pile. We left the lovely Council ladies with a swap-capacity-building program kit- so they can launch their own swaps in the future but we sure hope they call us again!
October 20, 2009
Last wednesday Kate and Juliette attended the RMIT Business Plan Competition presetation night – and what a night it was! It was a delight to see the boys from ourevent.info win the big prize; such a worthwhile project that definitely deserves the funding and support. The Clothing Exchange also managed to squeeze in and be awarded the Encouragement Award, which really took us by surprise.
So a big Thankyou to RMIT for involving us in this amazing competition and Prof Margaret Gardner AO and Marcus Powe for their continual support.
October 20, 2009
For the first time, the World Social Enterprise Forum was held in Melbourne and RMIT Seeds ensured that The Clothing Exchange was invited into the Lion’s Den to pitch their project to a panel of investors. Kate unraveled her spiel- got a few laughs over discussions of ‘housefill’ and other wasteful truths about overconsumption. The idea appealed to the judges who thought their daughters should come and swap too, but they also advised us to not try and achieve too much but to focus on what we do best- hosting great swaps in Australia. So should The Clothing Exchange refute the judges wise words and extend across the globe? I think we’ll have a hard time curbing our will to dream and invent more ways to share swapping! The Forum was a great opportunity to meet and reconnect with some great social entrepreneurs out there… Bronwyn Darlington from Rise up ethical clothing was there and Danny, the CEO from Engineers without Borders was up for a friendly chat. Google both those organisations because they’re up to some exciting stuff!
October 12, 2009
It is our greatest pleasure to annouce that the gorgeous city of Perth with be hosting home to The Clothing Exchange! Vanessah and Mia will be the lovely hosts at the events, with the first one scheduled on Thursday 27th October! So book your tickets online to secure your spot.
For all related Perth enquiries please email Vanessah on perth@clothingexchange.com.au
Linda is strongly driven and passionate about fashion and sustainability, while wanting to be a part of the movement towards a positive change for the environment. Linda is the creator of Lydra which was born out of a need for greater individuality in a world of increasing mass production and conscious disregard for nature.
