Posh Swaps Blog

All photographs (c) Photographer Eric Guillemain for EJF

EJF (Environmental Justics Foundation) have launched a range of T shirts designed by Giles Deacon, Allegra Hicks, Zandra Rhodes and John Rocha to help to stop the forced child labour and environmental  caused by cotton production .  The T Shirts are made of organic and fairtrade cotton and printed with organic certified inks.

For the launch of the T shirt range top celebrities including Ugly Betty star Ashley Jensen, Brit supermodel Lily Cole, singers Joss Stone and Sophie Ellis-Bextor  and 23 models from 14 different nations joined in with a photo shoot to model the T shirts.

All money raised by EJF from the sale of the T shirts will be used to support the charities valauble work. The EJF raises awareness of the continued use of forced child labour and the ecological devastation associated with cotton production. This is particularly an issue in Uzbekistan, the worlds 3rd largest exporter of cotton where children are forced to work fo little or nothing in conditions near slavery for the state run cotton industry.

Juliette Williams Programme Director EJF, says “Even in tough economic times, our buying power can be a force for good. Choosing organic and fairly traded cotton actively supports communities in some of the world’s poorest nations, where fair and equitable trade to the west can literally mean the difference between life and death. With public support, companies have been inspired to look at the way the cotton they buy and sell is produced, and high street names are saying ‘no’ to cotton from Uzbekistan until child labour and environmental abuses are eradicated. Together we can change our world”.

Shoppers can support EJF’s work by buying a t-shirt or giving a donation to the charity through its website - www.ejfoundation.org - helping them train tomorrow’s human rights and environmental defenders, and raise international awareness of abuses and, crucially, the solutions to them.

What a great idea. From Somewhere uses pre consumer waste from luxury designers such as proofs, swatches, production off cuts and ends of rolls, to make sustainble and very desirable clothing which is sold from their Portbello Road Shop.

The label which is the creation of Orsola De Castro and Filippo Ricci, creates designs that are reproducable in large numbers but still retain an element of uniqueness. The beauty of the clothes is both in the creativity and the luxurious fabrics including cashmere, cotton, silk, jersey and tweed from which they are made.

The recycling of these materials is a  great way to tackle the waste from the fashion industry which is increasingly coming under under scrutiny regarding its environmental impacts and damaging practices including waste.

Orsola De Castro and Filippo Ricci are also invloved in many other sustainable fashion projects and are founders and creators of the British Fashion Week Esthetica at London Fashion Week.

Swapping is really big news at the  moment. Apart from clothes swapping there are lots of other things that you can swap. The best thing about swapping be it clothes or anything else is that you don’t have to spend any money!

Car Swapping - if you want to swap your car for a different model you can do so on www.carswap.com. If there is a difference in value, you can also exchange some cash.

Skill swapping is a great way to get some work done or benefit from someone elses skills or expertise in a particular area. Think carefully about your own skills and what you could offer for others. Some ideas to consider are baby sitting, DIY, gardening or decorating, teaching a language or musical instrument or computer skills. Try www.swapaskill.com.

House Swapping - no chain, no conveyancy fees, what a great idea. If you go through www.homeswapper.co.uk you will also save on estate agency fees although you will still need a solicitor.

Home Swapping - this is where you swap homes with someone for a holiday. It is a great way to see the world at a fraction of the cost. Go to www.homeexchange.com for more details.

A beautiful maxi dress By Malene Birger from www.my-wardrobe.com, just not practical for my lifestyle!

I was reading an article the other day by Hollywood stylist Edith Head in the Mail on Sunday You Magazine, which described how a large proportion of women have wardrobes full of clothes that hardly ever wear. They tend to buy clothes that are not fit or appropriate for their lifestyle. This definitely rung true with me. I have  a wardrobe full of party and going out dresses. Since having children, I don’t often go out in the evening and as much as I would love to wear these dresses in the day time and sometimes do, they look a bit over the top for picking the children up from school.

She goes on to describe how to build yourself the perfect wardrobe. This is a wardrobe that is comfortable and suits all of your needs. She suggests that you chart which activities you do and then ensure that your wardrobe covers all of these activities. It suddenly struck me why despite having plenty of clothes, I can never find anything to wear. Most days are spent with a brisk walk to school in the rain, wind or whatever nature can throw at me. High heels and dresses are just not comfortable for this and look ridiculous. What I need is comfy shoes or boots with a small heel and well cut trousers or jeans that really flatter my figure, a smartish jacket which I can dress up with a few accessories.

The perfect case for a bit of clothes swapping. Most of my lovely but hardly ever worn dresses can be swapped for some comfy, practical and very stylish clothes that I can wear every day. Of course I will be hanging on to a few of those party dresses just in case I ever get the opportunity for a night out.

Some more lovely pictures for this weeks second hand style weekly. You may have noticed that most of our pictures are from the US. Is this because the UK doesn’t have any second hand style? Surely not. If you have any pictures of lovely outfits that you have put together including one or more second hand or vintage items, please email them to us at posh-swaps@heathcotecommunications.co.uk, we will gladly link back to you.

Another great picture from Pork Chop Rules on Flickr Wardrobe Remix. The pink looks great on her.

vintage boots,levis,Dior sweater from the thrift store 2.99

Thrifted:
Banana Republic Blazer - $6
Magazine brand polka-dot blouse - $3
Yellow leather handbag (weirdly, from Franklin Covey) - $4
Teal Fioni sandals (new) - $5

A lovely outfit from Karla of Karlas Bonanza - Karla explains why second hand blazers are great second hand buys, they are usually well made of sturdy fabric so do not suffer from piling, shrinkage etc,  they are not usually worn out as the styles change so often, women don’t usually wear them very much before recycling them.

Here is a summary of our favourite clothes swapping types. Which one are you?

The Social Swapper - you love swapping clothes because it is fun. You don’t really care what you end up with as long as you have a laugh in the process. Your ideal method of clothes swapping would be at a swishing party where you can have a drink and chat about your swaps with your friends or even meet new friends.

The Designer Doll - You love designer clothes and will leave no stone unturned in finding clothes by your favourite designer. You swap clothes by your favourite designers when you have run out of money to buy new designer clothes or as a way of getting more of your favourite designers clothes from past collections. Your swapping criteria is simple, if it has a designer label, it’s a deal.

The vintage vixen - you love anything vintage or vintage inspired. You regularly trawl vintage boutiques and charity shops in search of gorgeous and well preserved vintage items. You regularly swap items from your vintage wardrobe as a way of changing your look. Your key criteria when looking for a swap is if it is pre 1980’s, it’s a deal.

The frugal fashionista - you can’t resist a bargain and new ways to save money. Swapping old clothes that you no longer wear is a great way to refresh your wardrobe. If you are in need of an new evening dress or party dress, you see no reason to buy new. You even look for a second hand wedding dress when you get married, after all what is the point in starting married life with a load of debt.

The green goddess - All of your consumer choices are carefully considered to minimise your impact on the environment. You are all for sustainable clothing and swapping clothes ticks all your environmental boxes in terms of reducing waste and landfill and reducing the pollution and carbon foot print of clothing manufacture. Your idea of trendy designer clothing is a piece from the wave designers recycling materials and clothing into new designs.

The eclectic hunter - you love eclectic clothes and like to mix up different looks and styles. Clothes swapping is a great way for you to find more unique and unusual clothes than the current trends available in the high street shops. Your work on the basis that it is not just about what you wear, it is how you wear it.

It goes to show that there really is no one type of second hand clothes swapper. The only one thing that we all have in common is a love of stylish clothes.

The launch of Posh-Swaps.com is now only weeks away. The official launch date is 2nd of April but for very keen swappers it may well be available a few weeks before.

Posh Swaps will be a place to swap, buy and sell second hand, vintage and restyled, recycled clothes, accessories and shoes for men, women and children. It will be completely free to register, swap, buy and sell (the only charge will be a standard paypal fee).

We are really excited about this opportunity to promote sustainable style through second hand clothing and help to reduce landfill, the carbon footprint associated with clothing manufacture and the pollution and impacts of harmful chemicals used in the cultivation and manufacture of textiles.

We also hope that this site will be a great resource for the recessionista who wants to look stylish on a budget and for those looking to develop their own unique and individual style. An easy and convenient alternative to swishing.

This week for Second hand style weekly, we have found some completely unique items of clothing made from recycled second hand clothes. All of this weeks clothes come from the Etsy boutique Margeauxdesigns. Check it out for even more very stylish and unusual recycled clothes. 

The Margeaux Halter

This unusual style dress would look great with a bikini on the beach or with a par of jeans or trousers for an evening out. It started out as a long sleeve shirt - I cut the sleeves off and then right under the bust - attached my strips and macramed the design. The sleves were cut off and strips of fabric attached and macramed under the bust.

The Eceaux Throw on

Capes and poncho’s are really on trend at the moment. I love the way this has been made from a second hand ladies shirt. I love the delicate embroidery down one side even more.

The Black Margeux Halter

This halterneck top is fashioned from recycled ladies shirt and then finished with macrame detail. It would look equally amazing on its own or over a t shirt.