British department store chain Selfridges is organising a swap shop to encourage a more sustainable approach to fashion. Customers can swap clothes there for free for three weeks.
Clothes need to circulate
Stating that clothes need to keep circulating, Selfridges is hosting a swap shop in a London branch from 10 to 30 July. It is operated in partnership with Loanhood, a rental service and marketplace for clothes. Consumers can sign up to swap up to five garments for other second-hand items for free.
Experts will check all garments brought in on the spot and give customers stamps according to the value of the items. For two hours, shoppers can then browse other people’s garments and choose what to take home.
The chain is clear in what it achieves to do: it states that too many people have clothes in their wardrobe that they do not wear, meaning they are often thrown away or kept to hang in a wardrobe indefinitely. A Swap Shop by Loanhood is there to circulate the clothes, to extend their lifespan, Selfridges states. The department store chain launched its “Worn Again” strategy last year and aims for almost half of all transactions to be second-hand, repairs or rentals by 2030.
