Posh Swaps Blog

Posh-Swaps.com have announced that we are celebrating our first birthday at the end of April 2010! Our website, which is fast becoming a popular place to swap, buy and sell clothes, will celebrate the occasion with a fantastic prize-draw for anyone that registers and lists clothes to swap during the month of May 2010, with prizes to be won including £100 of shoe vouchers! The website was launched almost a year ago for people to do clothes swapping for free.

There are other clothes swapping websites which have introduced fees everytime someone swaps, buys or sells, but we have no plans to do so ourselves. The aim of the free service is to encourage everyone to swap clothes without the need to throw them away, and so recycling them to do our bit for the environment.

This first year has certainly been a busy one for us at Posh-Swaps, with plenty of successful online swaps and two swapping parties (known as swishing) held in Chiswick and in Bath. Clothes swapping is becoming increasingly popular lately, as it is a great way to refresh your wardrobe- gaining new clothes and discarding others which you never wear, and thanks to Posh-Swaps, all for FREE! You also get a great sense of having done a really good thing for the environment, by reducing what goes to the landfill sites and reducing the environmental impacts associated with the manufacturing of new clothes.

Our website constantly keeps you up to date with the latest fashion and eco-fashion news with plenty of different blog posts published each week, plus a fantastic newsletter that gets sent out every fortnight to let ypu know of the latest items available for swapping.

Picture taken from www.ask.com

A new online boutique company called Sequel London has arrived on our scenes- one of the latest boutiques to launch that are eco-friendly. Sequel London offers a range of leather handbags, which have been made from recycled leather jackets, discarded silk ties and curtains that are no longer wanted. The company has been created by cousins Claire Baigent and Laura Queening, both of whom want to reduce waste and to encourage sustainability in fashion by choosing unwanted clothes and accessories from Oxfam’s Wastesaver Warehouses, and using the materials to create their stunning new range.

The collection features bags made from leather including leather buttons, a removable silk tie decoration to add colour and style to the bags, and recycled curtains which are cut so to provide the lining of the bag. The ties on each bag will vary by design and will depend on the amount donated to Oxfam, so no two pieces will be the same. All of the Sequel London products are made in London itself, and the company is aiming to use recycled materials wherever possible- from the leather and the curtains, to the packaging and the stationary which will be made from recycled paper. All of the products have been designed by co-owner Laura Queening, who graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2007. “We decided to launch Sequel London as a way of encouraging sustainability in fashion by using those cast-offs that most of us have in the backs of our wardrobes, to produce classic, beautiful pieces that can be worn with pride time and again,” comments Laura. “We only choose the best quality material, even if the clothing itself has passed its fashion sell-by date.” Claire Baigent graduated from Newcastle University in 2006, and holds a CIPR Advanced Certificate in Public Relations.

The Spring/Summer collection, which is only available to buy online at sequellondon.co.uk, consists of six designs which are priced from £39 to £79, and offer beautiful and durable designs to last a life-time at high street prices.

Pictures and Quotes from www.sequellondon.co.uk

The famous fashion sport’s brand O’Neill has announced the launch of their new collection called ECO’Neill- a collection that is made entirely out of eco-friendly and sustainable materials in a new attempt at ‘doing their bit’ for the environment, and so reduce O’Neill’s carbon footprint. As O’Neill is one of the world’s leading companies when it comes to surfing products, the launch (which will be released next Spring), comes to us as extremely good news as they are seen to many as role models for other surfing and sporting brands.

The collection includes board shorts with fabric made from recycled plastic bottles, basic t-shirts, tanks and beanies made entirely from 100 percent organic cotton, and novelty t-shirts and tanks made from 100 percent organic cotton slub jersey. Advertising the new eco-collection is reggae artist and waterman Mishka, who completely supports the launch. He will promote his latest album release ‘Talk About’ to coincide with the launch, and will be giving his fans a preview of the collection during his album tour which started at the beginning of April. As the newest member of the O’Neill family, he will also be contributing to the designs and creative side of further ECO’Neill styles. Also in the coming months ahead, Mishka will then be featuring in advertising for the brand, social media and mobile marketing to show his support for the coming launch. O’Neill is among many different companies- designer and high street- to launch a new eco-friendly range.

Having been around since 1952 when the world’s first neoprene wetsuit was introduced by surfer Jack O’Neill, O’Neill’s are extremely pleased to be able to create such a range made from recycled and organic materials and yet still maintain their surfing image around the world and continuing to deliver to their customers exactly what they need in terms of style, flexibility, and now the knowledge that what they’re wearing is reasonably sourced.

Picture taken from www.fashionunited.co.uk

The two latest trends around in the fashion world at the moment is Clothes Swapping- clothes swapping parties and clothes swapping websites. The idea of clothes swapping is for us ladies to be able to update our wardrobes, on a budget and by doing so, helping the environment as you are recycling rather than throwing away clothes and buying new ones. But which one is the better one to do?

With a clothes swap party, you can make it in to such a fun time, allowing you to socialise with people. You can invite your best friends, your work colleagues, and even your neighbours and ask them to bring a friend with an armful of clothes, so that you have even more choice and the chance to make new friends as well. You will have the opportunity to see clothes up close, and if there is a designated changing area, then you also get the chance to try items on. However, no matter how many people do come to your house/party, the choice will be almost nothing compared to what you will find on a website. Your friends/neighbours/colleagues may also have different sizes to you, so what you do like may not fit you. The items are there for you to take home right away, but there could be arguments over certain popular items.

On a clothes swap website, you will have an endless choice of items from all over the world, so that this way you have more control over which items you receive in the swap. It may take a while to negotiate the swap as you may have to wait for the other-end person to come online, and if you are swapping from abroad, you may get caught up in each others’ time differences. Normally with clothes swapping, not a penny gets exchanged whereas online you may have to pay postage and packaging. However, the price of a parcel may just be worth it for that gorgeous dress that’s only available in America!

For those of us looking to update our wardrobes, there is a new craze sweeping around which could be the answer to all our shopping dilemmas- Swishing Parties. Swishing Parties are great as they don’t cost anything, you get to clear out unwanted items from your wardrobe and gain new pieces simply by swapping what you no longer need for something that you really want but what your fellow swisher doesn’t want. You can do swapping online as there are more websites appearing that are dedicated to swishing, or you can organise one in the comfort of your own home. All you will need is a few friends/neighbours/colleagues with an armful of clothes that they are each willing to trade! And because you’re not throwing away your clothes or spending money, swishing parties are environmentally friendly- even more perfect!

How to organise your swishing party:

. First round up as many friends as possible, telling them to completely empty their wardrobes and decide on what they no longer need. This can be clothing, shoes, accessories, jewellery, and bags.                           

. Next, decide on a date and venue for your party, sending out invitations/emails if necessary.

. Encourage your friends to bring along other friends so that you have a wider variety.

.You will need to think about how to organise everyone’s clothes for show, perhaps by size or by type, and use whatever space you’ve got- doors, chairs, tables etc.

Once you have organised everything, you will need to lay down a few rules so that everyone knows where they stand and that it works out fair for everyone.

. First things first- No money should ever be exchanged- all clothes are free!

. Second- Everyone must bring at least one item but can leave with as many as they like!

. Third- If two people are arguing over the same item, then toss a coin to make it fair.

. Forth- No one can claim items before the opening of the swish- it’s first come, first served!

. And finally- Whatever people take is theirs, but make sure that you are happy to give things away (although you don’t have to). To prevent people from walking out with armfuls of clothes they may never use, encourage them to try things on- perhaps create a dressing area in a room with the curtains closed and where no one can accidentally walk in!

If your party is a success, then maybe next time you could make it even bigger. Find a suitable venue such as a cafe and create posters to advertise it.

You could even try having a themed swap party. how about ski wear. Just take you old ladies ski jacket and ladies salopettes along and hope that you will come away with a lovely piece of Adidas Stella McCartney Ski Wear.

picture from the Fashionable Housewife

It is that time again when we share with you some great posts on eco friendly and ethical style by our green chic friends - enjoy!

The Fashionable Housewife is excited about the new H&M Garden Collection made entirely from environmentally adapted materials (including organic cotton, organic linen and recycled polyester). The collection boasts 80 gorgeous items and 10 accessories – all under $59.95!
Factio Magazine checks out the Karl Lagerfeld salad. That’s right the German fashion designer is no longer only a fashion icon, but an entrée as well!
Fashion Tribes Acqua di Gio helps needy kids and communities get clean water…and you can help!
Guiltless & Glamorous takes a quick look at the Kardashian sisters’ bebe collection.
My Beauty Bunny shares a cruelty-free exfoliation beauty secret!
Posh Swaps is really excited to announce Posh Swaps blog goes carbon neutral found how you can make your blog carbon neutral too!
Runway To Retail checks out steal deals… Today save 50% on J DE L’O ORGANICS at Editors’ Closet! Our favorites include the Leaf Soap Pure Vegetable, Organic Liquid Soap and the Rejuvenating Mask.
The Fashionable Bambino is giving away a Kokopax City Baby Carrier worth $99!
The Fashionable Gal wants Sephora Beauty Insiders to check out the Tarte Favorites Exclusive Value Set on sale exclusively from Sephora.com

Clogs are right on trend at the moment (well if Alexa is wearing them they must be). Chanel do a great pair but as most of us just can’t afford Chanel and some of us prefer to take a much more eco friendly and comfy path, these eco clogs are the perfect choice.

The Eco friendly clogs are biodegradable with 50% of the sole being made of biodegradable materials. Quite simply they are shoes that rot (eventually- not while you are wearing them). The plus side being that you can’t feel just a little less guilty about buying into the latest fashion and be sure that these shoes will be well worn as they are just so very comfy.

We can’t say this for sure but we are betting that many those high heel cloggs are not all that easy to walk in and end up in the bin by the end of this season! These babies will be with you for years until the leather and rubber that they are made of finally return to where they began as part of nature.

These Eco clogs are made by El Naturalista, whose eco friendly designs are brought to you with the greatest respect for the environment.They can be bought from Spartoo an online shoe retailer of women shoes that Posh Swaps has recently partnered with in order to bring you details of some of the most desirable eco shoes.

There has been a lot of talk lately about sustainable clothes and eco fashion. Every day a new brand emerges that is in some better for the environment than conventional clothing and usually more ethically produced. But with fast fashion and the culture of buying cheaply (and often unethically) made high fashion clothing still highly popular and ‘environmental green washing’ becoming the new in phrase, what really can be done to make clothing more sustainable?

At Posh Swaps we believe that there is no right or wrong way to become more sustainable, anything that we can do, no matter how small is a positive step in the right direction. But there are some things that we can do that are likely to have a more positive effect than others.

1. Buy less clothes - it is quite simple really, the less clothes that we buy, the less environmental damage is caused in their manufacture and the less waste we make. Clothes swapping is a great alternative to buying clothes. It allows you to update your wardrobe without having an impact (or a very minimal impact on the environment)

2. Buy second hand clothes- this is the most eco friendly way to buy clothes. There is no additional carbon footprint (except for transport) associated with buying new clothes. But we understand that you cannot always find exactly what you want second hand and will sometimes need to buy new.

3. Buy quality clothes that will last, where possible in Eco friendly fabrics- fabrics made from recycled materials, probably have the smallest footprint as they do not have to be made from scratch. There is also the benefit of having saved materials that may have otherwise ended up in landfill. Other eco friendly fabrics including organic bamboo, cotton and hemp are all better than their conventional alternatives but still have a carbon footprint associated with their growth and manufacture and contribute to the problem of waste so should always be bought to last.

Finally, in order to ensure that your clothing is really sustainable, you should consider its whole life  cycle:

• Buy clothes to last
• Wash and dry (or clean) in as eco friendly manner as possible
• When you no longer need them recycle by selling or donating to charity.

Posh-swaps.com was at the Southbank Centre in London on Wednesday for the Sustainable Clothing Conference and update of the Sustainable Clothing Roadmap. The conference included entrance to Estethica, London Fashion Week’s sustainable trade show, a reception and address by Environment Minister Dan Norris.The conference brought together over 200 clothing industry representatives to discuss the ethical and environmental impacts of clothing.

One year on from the first sustainable action plan in which Posh Swaps pledged to promote recycling and reuse of clothes by encouraging clothes swapping and buying and selling of second hand clothes as well as other eco fashion and sustainable clothing. A further 40 companies and organisations have signed up to the action plan including British Retail Consortium, Ethical Fashion Forum, Forum for the Future, Levis Strauss, MADE-BY, Cotton Made in Africa, RSPCA, Society of Dyers and Colourists.

Since its creation the SCAP has brought together over 40 organisations, from high street retailers, to designers and textile manufacturers to battle the environmental and ethical impacts of ‘throw away’ fashion.  Some of the biggest names in fashion are working to take actions which will make a significant difference to the environmental footprint and social inequalities which blight some of the consumer fashion supply chain.

Many of the initiatives from the original action plan are now well underway including Tesco’s new sustainable clothing range in collaboration with From Somewhere which will launch this Spring and the Oxfam ‘Clothes Exchange’ partnership with M&S.

There was also the announcement of a £3.5 million fund to be made available over 3 years by the Responsible and Accountable Garment Sector (RAGS) fund for bids from organisations who want to make the clothing business more ethical and contribute more strongly to development in poor countries.

For the second season at New York Fashion Week, the Green Shows featured a range of global eco designers and brands sending a very clear message that New York can do green with style. The collections featured a range of ecofriendly fabrics including recycled and upcycled, organic and sustainable fabrics.

The Green Shows opened with an extravagant and elaborate couture , inspired collection, by London designer Gary Harvey featuring recycled clothes made into beautiful full skirted outfits.

Another fresh and charming collection was by Samantha Pleet whose organic cotton and wool clothes are made in a wind powered manufacturing facility in New York. Her designs are young and fresh and worn by a number of indie bands. This time her collection featured some very desirable pieces, simple but with a touch of fantasy.

JoAnn Berman’s colourful and eclectic collection was made using recycled and upcycled materials.

There was plenty more in terms of creative and wearable eco fashion at The Green Shows. John Partick Organic showed his collection at the main fashion week and has long been a shining example of Eco fashion in New York. His collection featured elegant and timeless pieces inspired by Lady Di and Joni Mitchell. Classic and nostalgic with some great tailoring.