Posh Swaps Blog

We are so excited about our latest announcement. We have been really busy planning the first ever Posh Swaps clothes swap party. Whilst many people love swapping clothes online for it’s choice and simplicity, some also really like the social aspects of swapping and will give any reason for a good party. Clothes swapping parties or swishing have become hugely popular in the UK.

With this in mind, we have teamed up with Total Renewal and Style to Wear for our first ever clothes swap party for 17th September in Chiswick and we are sure that it is going to be a completely enjoyable event, the chance to catch up with friends and to relax and enjoy a bit of pampering. We think it will give you the chance to refresh and update your wardrobe but it is not just a clothes swapping party. The event will include a pamper treatment for each guest, a glass of wine and a fashion and beauty market. Each guest will also recieve a Posh Swaps goody bag.

For further information and tickets go to http://www.posh-swaps.com/blog/posh-swaps-clothes-swap-parties/

We are pleased to present our first Posh Swaps DIY refashion project. We thought that we would start off with something fairly simple. We have refashioned two boring old t shirts/ tops by bleaching them. It can take a little bit of trial and error to get the desired effect, but it is really quite simple. We used some tops/ t shirts that we bought from a second hand shop for a few pounds.

All we did was to bundle the t shirts up and tie them loosely with string. We then covered our clothes with an apron to protect and donned some very attractive rubber gloves. We put a bit of bleach in the bottom of a washing up bowl and rolled the tops in the bleach. We left for about 3 or 3 minutes before topping the bowl up with water and leaving for another 10 minutes. We then cut the string and rinsed the tops really well.

For the eco friendly option, you can use an eco friendly bleach like Ecover.

This black top turned orange when bleached. I love the effect even if it does look a little like the hippy tie dye thing. It is worth experimenting with the amount of bleach coverage for different effects. A bit more bleach and this top would have been even more orange.

This orange t shirt changed yellow when bleached, making it a really colourful summer t shirt.

All Posh Swaps Refashion projects are available to buy on www.posh-swaps.com

Top designer & stylist, Mrs Jones has created a limited edition collection of only 30 reinvented Oxfam pieces that are on sale now in the Camden High Street Oxfam Store and Oxfam online. Each piece is made from second hand clothes so is completely unique and there is certainly nothing last year about these clothes.

Tie Dye Brittania - the all English sundress in trendy denim

Hats off to  monochrome - an incredible bustier dress in black and white

Shipmate Stripes and Shirts - sailors stripes and shirty checks.

Cheeky nautical stowaway - this striped mini declares ‘genius’ across the derriere

Eighties biker revival - embellished black leather bomber with black and white patch print leggings

Even if you don’t buy any of these, there are some great ideas for DIY projects that you could work on yourself. Don’t forget you can also buy and sell refashioned, reworked and restyled second hand clothes on Posh Swaps.

It’s great to see so many of the nominees for the Innovation awards using recycled materials this year. The competition was lauched by the Ethical Fashion Forum this year to support new fashion designers whose work exhibits both outstanding design and sustainability. The winners will have the opportunity to show at Estheica at London Fashion Week in September and will get support from an expert consultancy team.

The sustainable fashion using recycled materials, include:

• MIA - combining second hand clothes purchased from local markets in Malawi with traditional Malawian textiles to create contemporary womenswear.
• Dandi Maestre - handmade jewellery and accessories made from natural and recycled materials including reclaimed wood.
• Henrietta Ludgate - based in a crofting village in the highlands of Scotland and using surplus fabrics from mills including fleece and tweed.
• Hetty Rose - Handmade shoes using mainly reclaimed, recycled and vintage materials with very little waste including Japanese Kimono fabrics and recycled leather.
• Lu Flux - clothing made using upcyled vintage material.

picture - Lux Flux

Just incase you were in any doubt as to how trendy eco fashion is, it had now been confirmed by the launch of a collection made from recycled clothes at Topshop. Topshop is considered the most cutting edge and innovative of the high street fashion store and it’s introduction of a line of recycled clothing proves that being green is red hot. It follows in the footsteps of Oxfam’s recycled DIY collection which has recieved plenty of publicity lately.

The collection is by the Eco brand My Only One, that used second hand and women’s vintage clothing to create beautiful and fresh new designs. The ideas come from a team of innovative and emerging designers.

The collection will launch at the Oxford  Street store of Topshop and will be called Sport Noveau. It will feature stylishly reconstructed sportswear.

picture from Redpoppyfashion.blogspot.com

We have lots more gorgeous and guilt free goodies from our Green Chic friends this week. More proof that it is indeed possible to be eco friendly and stylish!

Factio Magazine recently caught up with the Marketing Director of BillionDollarBabes to talk about her cool job, her own style and her favorite eco-friendly designer!
Fashion Pulse Daily is in complete awe of the natural ingredient rich, paraben-free Korres Suncare Watermelon Face Stick.
Looking Sharp! fell in love with PRETTY BIRDIE on Etsy
Posh Swaps shows us how to swap and sell your old designer clothes a great way to be frugal, eco friendly and stylish
Quinta Trends talks to Paola Silvestre about their amazing wicker lamps and furniture
RedPoppy Fashion is super liking designer Jerome Dreyfuss’ chic and slouchy bags and their eco- awareness as well…
Runway To Retail finds out about Sarah Jessica Parker’s eco-friendly hair and skin secret! It’s revealed here!

The lastest book on our must read list is this book for DIYers, restylers and refashioners. Junky Styling founded by Annika Sanders and Kerry Seager is one of our favourite ethical and eco labels. AFter recieving many compliments on their own restyled clothing, the girls set up the company, sourcing clothes from charity shops and jumble sales and deconstructing them to create something new. The original Junky Styling clothes were made from tailored suits and menswear reconstructed into twisted garments. Junky Styling now works from a workshop in Brick Lane with a talented team of designers producing all sort of collections. They also offer a service to redesign your old wardrobe by overhauling, customising or altering your garments.

The new book by the founders of Junky Styling features simple projects that show you how to reconstruct you wardrobe including step by step instructions on how to turn trousers into a fitted top.

We can’t wait to get started!

Silk Missoni Dress

Do you love wearing designer clothes? Most of us would love to be able to fill our wardrobes with lovely designer clothes each season, but in reality there are only a few who actually have enough money to do so. With the recession hitting many of us and our clothes spend, don’t despair, you can still have a great designer clothes filled wardrobe without filling for bankruptcy.

Investing in second hand designer clothes or swapping your old designer clothes is a much better way to look stylish on a budget than resorting to fast fashion clothes that are not good for the environment and are sometimes produced unethically. They are often poorly made in inferior fabrics and it will show when you wear them.

Firstly you should sort through any designer clothes that you no longer wear. These can then be listed on a clothes swapping website like Posh-swaps.com. All that you need is a photograph of the item and as much information as possible about it including the size, designer, fabric and details of the condition. It can also be useful to take a photograph of the label to show that the item is genuine.

Then comes the fun part. Browse for some lovely clothes that you would like and propose a swap or to buy.

Sam Ubhi is launching its recycled leather bag range for SS10. The eco-chic range of recycled leather bags will be on show at Pure in August. Since its interception twenty-one years ago, Sam Ubhi, the accessories label, has utilised eco friendly materials such as African horn and bone, bi-products from the world’s food industry. Now they are using yet another animal product but as the leather will be recycled, it will be helping to reduce the problem of waste and landfill.

The brand is already known for it’s use of recycled materials. Their bags made from scraps are both functional and stunning pieces which are made to last. Sam Ubhi is also showcasing a new horn and bone jewellery collection from Indonesia. The natural materials will be recycled and moulded into chunky cuffs, low hanging necklaces and chain link earrings all combined with sterling silver featuring a Sam Ubhi twist.

The Sam Ubhi brand has maintained an eco friendly ethos from the outset with all jewellery being handmade in the UK, and this year’s focus has been on moving all production to the UK.