A Way to Shed: Clothing Swap!

Back again from the half-dead!  Man, I heard that the strain of flu was particularly bad this year, and that the flu shot was not as effective against it since it was a mutated form or something.  But now I know for real that it was THAT bad because I wouldn't wish that kind of sickness on my worst enemy!  Slowly but surely, I'm coming back to life.  While I was laying there sick, thinking about doing this blog post, but couldn't muster up the energy to do it, I really wanted to, I promise!

So, I'm doing this sort of backwards because I wanted to post about the discipline of "shedding" first, and then talk about the clothing swap, but well, that's neither here nor there.  

The lovely ladies from Church of the Redeemer here in South LA have been doing a clothing swap about quarterly for the last few years now.  I loved the idea of swapping clothes and how it is an eco-friendly, sustainable way of getting clothes in a community.  And it's free!  Props to these ladies for letting me show up to the swap and take photos of them fully clothed, and NOT while they were changing!  :-)

Like all of the world's institutions, there is brokenness and corruption.  The fashion industry in not exempt from this in general as they participate in mass production of clothes that ultimately contribute to waste, and is associated with exploitation of their workers to keep costs down, to just name a few things that are wrong with the fashion industry.  Clothing swaps in communities, or shopping in thrift stores are wonderful alternative ways to get "new" clothes that you need!

Here's how it started, all of the clothes laid out and displayed, ready to be swapped.  Doesn't it look lovely?

There were clothes, and other items like books, accessories, and some jewelry!  Check it.  

So I wasn't fully paying attention because I was so excited about being at the swap, that I didn't catch the rules very clearly.  I think in the beginning, the ladies decided to have a short time frame where they would only pick five items each.  Here they are explaining the rules that I wasn't paying attention to.

And then, they're off!  Swapping away, getting their first five items!

After the time frame of getting their five items, I think the rules relaxed, and people could then pick from the whole lot what they needed or wanted.  Here are some shots of these lovely ladies trying on their cute items!

Dear Sarah Stokes-meister

Cute Steph Payne-ster

Miss Nanc Fern enjoying her "new" swapped book!

Jenn Pope-ster rocking some fun colors!

JLyrical hanging out bohemian style!

Amy Kimbel-meister leaving happily full from the swap.

Candice Cleverleigh blinging her "new" clutch!  She makes the most awesome faces, I tell you.

Even though, I didn't participate in the swap, I was generously allowed to partake, so I came home with a some items that I'm glad to have, like a pair of cozy brown corduroy pants, a lacy top (you will soon see that I cannot resist cute lacy tops, or lacy anything for that matter), some lovely Thymes brand lotion, a new toothbrush, a CA state belt buckle, a pair of silver armadillo earrings, and two daisy seed planting kits, which I am excited to add to my sacred space balcony garden (more on that project later!) and I think that's it!

And the icing on the cake was the end result which was a very large pile of remaining clothes and items to be donated to the Sonshine Shop Thrift Store!  

There you have it!  Now, go do a clothing swap of your own in your own group of friends and communities!  Go "shed" all of those clothes you have not worn in a while, and maybe will never wear, and swap them with your friends!  And then, give the leftovers to the Sonshine Shop Thrift Store, located at 1971 S. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA  90007.  Peace!