Posh Swaps Blog

Whilst most people understand the importance of recycling and how it helps the environment, some people need just a little bit more of an incentive than helping the environment to get them recycling. There are so many ways that you can recycle now but did you know that you can actually make money by recycling?

Here are our top ways of making money by recycling:

1. Mobile phones - www.mobilephonerecycling.co.uk allows you to compare prices and get the most for your phone. Mobile phones should not be thrown away in your bin as the batteries contain hazardous substances.  

2. Computers and laptops - find out how much money you can get for your old computer on www.wastecare.co.uk

3. Clothes  - you can sell your old clothes on www.posh-swaps.com

4. Refashion clothes - you can refashion second hand clothes into something new and sell it for a higher value on www.posh-swaps.com

5. Make Jewellery - you can turn waste into beautiful and unusual jewellery to sell at craft fairs or on posh-swaps.com. Old watches and jewellery are a great place to start but there are so many other things you could use. Think creatively.

6. Turn your kitchen waste into compost, bag it up and sell it to your neighbours. Find out how on http://www.composting101.com/

7. Sell just about anything that you don’t want or need any more at a car boot sale, through newspaper ads or online

You just need to think a bit creatively. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure so before you throw something away, think about whether it might be of value to someone else.

Yet more evidence that recycling in the fashion industry is starting to take off. Graduate fashion week is a great indicator of the future of fashion almost certainly some of this years graduates will be the next rising stars of the fashion industry.

I loved Lucie Vincini’s collection of menswear. It had some eclectic and innovative designs but was mor than just a eco fashion novelty. It stood on it’s own merits in terms of wearable clothes and a very cohesive collection. The collection was made of a wide range of recycled materials and included a jacket made from Royal Mail bags and trousers made from plastic bags.

I hope this will inspire people and designers to have a go at making more outfits from recycled materials and second hand clothes is a great place to start. Don’t forget you can sell your outfits from second hand clothes and recycled materials for free on www.posh-swaps.com.

There are so many creative ways that recycled items can be made into jewellery, here are some of our favourites:

Who would have thought of using old bicycle inner tyres to create beautiful and unique jewellery? Sasja Saptenno a designer from Holland did. She makes a range of delicate and intricate jewellery from bicycle inner tyres aswell as 3d shawls from recycled materials.

For fun colourful and stylish jewellery, I love Recycled Newspaper Jewellery. It is made from Bracelets, Brooches, Earrings and Cufflinks  made of  Recyclable Paper Materials including Newspaper, Sweetener Packets and Loser Lottery Tickets.

This gorgeous vintage looking bracelet made from recycled floral biscuit tins is just one of the beautiful pieces of jewellery made from recycled materials on www.the-green-apple.co.uk.

They say that diamonds are a girls best friend but for a recycled alternative to diamonds these sparkly necklaces by Kumvana Govmani are  a great choice. They are made from recycled PET plastic.

If you love vintage jewellery then why not try something new made from vintage. This vintage clasp and recycled chain necklace is just one of a range of one of a kind jewellery on http://uncommonlybeautifulrecycledaccessories.bigcartel.com that is made from recycled and reclaimed materials including scrap leather, clock parts and suitcases.

Everyone is refashioning at the moment, obviously the word is getting out that you can get some really amazing clothes using second hand and vintage items. Oxfam has just opened a DIY store in its Camden shop with unique creations made from second hand. Top designer and styling Mrs Jones has revamped the store into retro heaven which has become an oasis of style for trendsetters and vintage enthusiasts.

Mrs Jones who is a stylist to the celebrities including The Killers, Kylie, Scissor Sisters and Goldfrapp has created a limited edition collection of only 30 reinvented Oxfam pieces that will be on sale in the shop and online soon. The shop opened on Saturday with a series of DIY workshops run by the stylist herself.

If you can’t get along to the store, you can always have a go at refashioning some second hand clothes yourself with their DIY tutorial on how to turn jeans into a skirt. You can also get some ideas from their sidewalk to catwalk gallery.

The 3 R’s are used a lot to explain how you can reduce your waste and live a more sustainable life. Of the the thousands of tonnes of rubbish that are produced by UK households and business each year, only a relatively small proportion is recycled. There is still a large amount of waste that ends up in landfill when it could be recycled. In 2006, UK clothing and textiles produced up to two million tonnes of waste, 3.1 million tonnes of CO2 and 70 million tonnes of waste water.  Textiles and clothing is an area where the 3 R’s can be applied very successfully for increased sustainability:

Reduce - buying higher quality clothes in classic styles that will not go out of fashion quickly is a great way to reduce your clothing waste and the environmental impacts associated with the manufacture of new clothes.  Buying second hand clothes is also a great way to reduce your environmental impact.

Reuse - Always look after your clothes and repair them when they get damaged. If you get bored with your clothes or they no longer fit, you can also alter, customise them or rework them.

Recycle - Try swapping, selling or donating your old clothes to charity. If it is no longer wearable you can also take it to a clothing bank and it can be recycled as rags.

We have already established that clothes swapping is a great idea because it is environmentally friendly, frugal and fun, we have also discussed how to arrange a clothes swap. If you have already had a go at clothes swapping and enjoyed it, here are some ideas for clothes swaps with a difference.

1. A children/ baby clothes swap - this is a great way to recycle childrens clothes as they grow out of them. As baby clothes are only worn for a short amount of time they are often in really good condition. If you arrange a ticket system where everyone brings a bag of clothes and gets a number of tickets in return, it will allow people to swap clothes for the right size for their children.

2. A clothes swap and customising competition - not only can you get some new clothes but you could also get a completely unique and individual outfit that no one else has. You can ask frinds to bring along a sewing kit and any old buttons, trims, beads etc that they have. Once you have swapped, you can then spend the evening embellishing your clothes over a glass of wine or two. At the end, you can show off the clothes in a fashion show and award a small prize to the best creation.

3. Vintage clothes swap - If you and your friends love vintage clothes, why not arrange a vintage clothes swapping party. This is a great way to refresh your wardrobes.

4. Themed Clothes Swaps - for a bit of fun why not arrange a themed clothes swap. Perhaps try a flowers theme or  choose a particular colour which everyone should bring clothes in. In the run up to christmas, you could arrange a sparkly clothes swap with sparkly or evening clothes.

5. Accessories swap - you could arrange an accesories swap for accessories in general or for one particular type of accessories such as shoes, hand bags or jewellery.

Let us know your fun ideas for clothes swapping.

London College of Fashion is one of the worlds leading fashion colleges. It has a huge influence on the new designers and up and coming talents that graduate from it’s courses each year. It is really exciting to see London College of Fashion embracing recycling and second hand clothing with their short course in recycled clothing.

This course is great for anyone who wants to develop their own unique or individual style through second hand and vintage clothing. With second hand clothing being so immensley popular this course will give you the chance to get creative, gain some fashion inspiration and also utilise some of your jumble sale or posh swaps finds to make some thing gorgeous.

The course will teach you how to make a capsule wardrobe from second hand clothes or clothes in your existing wardrobe. Following some research on current fashion and trends combined with your own inspiration before learning how to apply customising techniques. You will also learn aboout key skills like soft tailoring and pattern cutting which will allow you to alter items, improve the fit, change the lining etc. You will also get the chance to have a go at creative techniques like beading and embellishment.

The best bit about the course is that it is aimed at beginners so you only need basic hand and sewing machine skills. You could even make yourself some extra money by selling your recycled creations on posh-swaps.com.

02 Jun 2009 20:00

Venue: Pink Bar, 93 Feet East, 150 Brick Lane

The East London Craft Guerrilla are back in the Pink Bar at 93 Feet East holding the second of their monthly clothes swap on Tuesday 2nd June. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, fling open your drawers and bring all those clothes, shoes and accessories that you don’t wear anymore (although please make sure they’re clean and in good condition) and swap them for new ones! The Craft Guerrilla tutors will be available to help you pimp your new clothes with vintage buttons and other trimmings.

As with all our DIY Craft Nights, please feel free to bring your own projects. Foxed by a knitting pattern? Got your garter tangled with your stocking stitches? Running stitch run away with you? Want to learn how to darn / knit / crochet? Ask our tutors to help you out!

£5 cover charge if you’re taking part in the clothes swap or free entry if you’re bringing your own projects.

Please get there with your clothes by 8PM as the first hour will be spent hanging them up and eyeing up your potential swaps. Please bring at least one item to swap per person with a maximum of five items in total. The amount you bring is the amount you can take home.

Craft Guerrilla DJs: Masonic Boom / Anna / Dawn Chorus / Handsome Twins will provide some crafty beats while you knit, sew and pose in your new clothes.

For more information and to download the flyer click the image below or visit the events page at www.craftguerrilla.com.

Plastic bags are so last year. They never were exactly stylish but as consumers realise their devastating impact on they environment, they have become even less fashionable.

Plastic bags have become a huge problem with over 13 billion used in the UK each year. They can clog drains an dcause flooding and pollute rivers and streams. They can also kill animals and destroy plant life. They have a very short lifespan sometimes only minutes yet they can take a very long time to photodegrade.

 There are so many alternatives to a plastic bag for carrying your shopping in. I particularly like the idea of using a bag made from recycled materials for a really unique and stylish look and double environmentally friendly points.

Here are some of my favourite and very stylish reusable bags or alternatives to the plastic bag.

This Floral Recycled Shopping Bag is made using 100% recycled plastic bottles. It is available in a variety of designs but i love this cool retro style pattern. It is strong and light weight so can easily be rolled up.

If you like bright and colourful, then this shopping bag is for you. These stylish bags are made from recycled juice packs by a womens co operative in the Phillipines. The bags are strong and available in variety of shapes and sizes from large shopping bags to smaller handbags. The juice packets that they are made from contain foil and plastic which is non bio degradable and would otherwise go into landfill or incinerators.

This Re-sail tote bag is the ultimate in recycled and stylish alternatives to the carrier or plastic bag. It is made from 100% recycled sail cloth. Only a few of these bags are made and each one is totally unique.

This reversible vintage tote is made from recycled vintage materials. It is designed and handmade by Pouch. It is fully lined with recycled denim and the straps are made with recycled denim.

Si:Su is a label that design beautiful and ecological clothing and was founded by three graduates of Swansea Metroplitan University, Hanneke Van Ryswyk, Rachel Bryan and Helen Stew. The collections include casual for everyday wear and romantic pieces for special ocassions. All of the clothing is 100% recycled even the buttons and thread. Each item is completely unique and made from luxurious fabrics such as satins, silks and cottons with vintage ribbons and lace.

They also only use vegetable dyes and source all of their fabrics within the UK, especially in South Wales. All of the production is based in South Wales. The clothes are both nostalgic and contemporary with a handcrafted detail.

Yet another very good reason to go green. si:su can be found at Green Trading.