Winnipeg, MB          April 21, 2012          Delta Winnipeg Hotel
Ottawa, ON              May 6, 2012              Mambo
Toronto, ON             May 11, 2012            Enoch Turner Schoolhouse
Calgary, AB             June 3, 2012             TBA
Montreal, QC          July 28-29, 2012       Place des Arts

Questions?
Sponsorships & Partnerships: aleece@theswapteam.org
Volunteer: volunteer@theswapteam.org
What’s a clothing swap? http://theswapteam.org/faqs
Press inquiries & all other questions: info@theswapteam.org

Ticket information and more details to come – stay tuned!

The SWAP Team

photo: Ian Woo

Holà, amoureux et amoureuses du swap,

Que faites-vous en cette joyeuse Saint-Valentin avec votre chéri/chérie? Avez-vous pensé un peu à nous et trouvé une manière écologique d’exprimer votre amour?

Soyez créative pour la Saint-Valentin!

Humm… écologie, amour… comment combiner les deux? Voici quelques idées aussi romantiques qu’écologiques pour une soirée inoubliable entre votre chéri(e) et vous :

1 – Éteignez toutes les lumières, n’allumez pas le téléviseur et promenez-vous lentement dans votre chez-vous à la lueur d’une chandelle (en faisant attention, bien entendu). Voyez comment la noirceur inspirera votre créativité. Vous pourrez surprendre votre bien-aimé(e) avec des paroles ou chansons improvisées en son honneur.
Si par contre l’idée de rester assis à créer de la poésie vous fait frémir, vous pouvez toujours éteindre les lumières et sortir faire une randonnée en ville au clair de lune.

2 – Ne vous échangez aucun cadeau de Saint-Valentin, sauf si c’est quelque chose que vous possédez déjà. Votre être cher vous aime comme vous êtes, alors pourquoi en rajouter? Célébrez l’amour, tout simplement! Dansez dans votre salon, asseyez-vous près d’une fenêtre. Je vous souhaite une nuit étoilée, mais même s’il tombe de la pluie verglaçante, creusez un peu au fond de vous-mêmes pour éveiller la partie de vous capable de reconnaître l’amour de Mère Nature à travers le verglas.

3 – Lisez ensemble en tranquillité, le même livre à deux, ou chacun son livre. N’allumez pas la télé! Lorsque vos yeux auront besoin d’un moment de répit, regardez votre être cher pour un instant. Son visage contient tout ce qui ne peut être vu à la télévision.
Que faire si vous êtes célibataire? Que diriez-vous d’une bonne tasse de thé chaud et de lecture à la lueur de chandelles ou d’une lampe à l’huile? Créez-vous une soirée magique et inoubliable. Il n’y a rien qui vous en empêche!

À vous mes amours,

Laura

Si ce n’est pas votre première fois sur ce blogue, vous savez à quel point j’adore les vêtements d’occasion! Je magasine toujours chez L’Armée du Salut ou chez Renaissance et j’ai presque complètement laissé tomber les magasins de « première main ». J’en suis même venue à croire que j’étais étrange… mais, j’ai réalisé dernièrement que les articles d’occasion sont beaucoup plus à la mode que je ne le croyais! En fait, les fashionistas modernes ont adopté les vêtements d’occasion avec enthousiasme.

En magasinant chez Renaissance, j’aperçois souvent des filles branchées avec d’énormes piles de vêtements dans leurs chariots. Je dois toujours résister à la tentation de regarder dans leurs chariots pour voir ce qu’elles ont trouvé et que j’ai raté.

J’ai lancé un sondage sur mon blogue mode sur Chictopia : « Aimez-vous les magasins d’occasion? ». Voici les résultats :

• 48 % – Oui, ce n’est pas cher!
• 52 % – Oui, c’est l’endroit idéal pour être inspiré
• 0 % – Non, je n’aime pas porter des vêtements usagés
• 0 % – Non, je n’aime que les nouvelles choses

Comme vous pouvez le voir, les articles d’occasion ont bel et bien été adoptés et font maintenant partis des garde-robes les plus tendances.

Un de mes blogues mode favori est Hel Looks, un blogue sur la mode de la rue à Helsinki, en Finlande. Les fashionistas finlandaise portent souvent des articles d’occasion. Elles sont pour moi une vraie source d’inspiration!

Voici mes Hel Looks favoris.

Suvi, 23 ans
« Je porte un chapeau Sfera, une jupe venant d’Espagne, un veste Vila et des bottes d’occasion.
J’adore les chapeaux, les capuchons, les couleurs terre et rougeâtres, ainsi que les détails intéressants sur les manches de ma veste. »

Stephanie, 26 ans
« La robe, le chapeau et la veste sont vintage, les chaussures sont un cadeau de ma mère et j’ai tricoté le foulard. J’aime les vieux vêtements. Les années 60 est ma décennie favorite. Mes inspirations sont Frida Kahlo, Patti Smith et les mouvements pour les droits des femmes. »

Sandra, 24 ans
« J’adore les robes vintage. Il est de plus en plus difficile de trouver du beau vintage, mais il y a encore quelques bonnes adresses à Paris et à Londres où je magasine. Je ne veux pas ressembler à tout le monde. J’aime les vêtements à la mode, mais qui possède un petit quelque chose de différent. Le film Autant en emporte le vent et la période entre les années 50 et 70 m’inspire. Coco Chanel et Sonia Rykiel ont toujours été mes designers favorites. »

Jeonga, 30 ans
« J’aime les couleurs primaires. Elles rendent tout le monde heureux. En ce moment, je porte des vêtements d’occasion achetés en Australie et en Finlande. J’ai acheté le chapeau, les bas et le foulard chez UFF hier. J’achète principalement des vêtements d’occasion, car c’est unique, amusant et peu cher. »

Anna, 23 ans
« La cape est de Vintage Ansa et est également appelé Anna. Le beanie est un cadeau d’un ami, le foulard est fait à la main et le pull-over et le sac sont d’occasion. J’aime les couleurs peau et beige, ainsi que les couleurs terre. J’aime les vêtements amples, confortables et tombants, comme les grands pull-overs. »

Jade, 21 ans
“Aujourd’hui, c’est un jour en noir. Je porte un chapeau de Vintage Ansa, une robe Weekday, des chaussures de chez Zio et un sac à dos Fjällräven. En ce moment, je tire mon inspiration de la couleur orange et des mes cheveux roses. »

Anna-Sofia, 20 ans
« J’ai fabriqué la veste à partir d’un vieux chandail pour homme. Les hautes chaussures plate-forme sont parfaites pour ne pas disparaître dans la foule du festival. J’aime les chapeaux à larges bords, les chapeaux de paille, les tee-shirts courts avec des jeans à taille haute, les capes, les tricots et la superposition de plusieurs couches. »

Meeri, 23 ans
« Je reviens de Barcelone où je suis tombée accidentellement sur un magasin du nom de Me and My Bitch. J’ai acheté 10 articles, dont ce tee-shirt et ce pantalon. Le sac à main appartenait à ma grand-mère. J’adore le vintage, en particulier celui des années 50. J’aime les produits éthiques et naturels et le travail artisanal sur les vêtements. »

Annika, 21 ans
« Je porte un chapeau vintage de chez Beyond Retro à Stockholm, un manteau vintage Max Mara et des chaussures de chez Lilly. J’adore les vêtements doux et confortables. Je ne pourrais pas survivre sans chapeau ou autres accessoires. Mes principales inspirations sont les films italiens des années 50 et les années 60. »

Molla, 32 ans
« Je porte un chandail d’occasion et la jupe et le sac sont faits à la main. Pour célébrer l’Ofelia market, j’ai ajouté quelques inspirations steam-punk, comme les couleurs brunes et le collier en forme de loupe de chez Sofia. Le travail au crochet m’inspire. Mon style est souvent commando urbain, avec des pantalons d’homme et des rangers. J’aimerais bien porter plus d’accessoires des années 50 par contre. »

Et vous, qu’est-ce qui vous inspire?

If you follow this blog at all, you know how much I like second hand clothes! I shop at the Salvation Army and at Renaissance all the time, and I have almost given up first hand shopping. At some point it even made me think I am special…but recently I have realized that second hand stuff is more trendy than I thought! In fact, modern fashionistas wear second hand enthusiastically.

While shopping at Renaissance I often see trendy dressed girls with big piles of clothes in their shopping carts. It is always a huge temptation for me to look inside the carts to see what they have found and what I have missed.
In my fashion blog on Chictopia I made a poll “Do you like second hand stores?”. Here are the results I got:

• 48% – Yes, it is cheap to shop!
• 52% – Yes, a perfect place for inspiration
• 0% – No, do not like to wear used clothing
• 0% – No, I like only new things

As we see, the second hand stuff has been well adopted by the trendy wardrobes.

One of my favorite fashion blogs is Hel Looks, a blog about street fashion in Helsinki, Finland. The Finnish fashionistas often dress in second hand; for me, they are an unlimited source of fashion inspiration!

Let me show you my ten favorite Hel Looks.

Suvi, 23
“I’m wearing a Sfera hat and skirt from Spain, a Vila jacket and second hand boots.
I like hats, hoods, reddish and down-to-earth colours and interesting details like the sleeves on my jacket.”

Stephanie, 26
“The dress, the hat and the jacket are vintage, the shoes are a gift from my mother and I knitted the scarf I’ve knitted myself. I like old clothes, the 60s is definitely my favorite decade. Frida Kahlo, Patti Smith and the women’s rights movement inspire me.”

Sandra, 24
“I have a thing about vintage dresses. It’s harder and harder to find good vintage, but there are still good addresses in Paris and London where I shop. I don’t want to look like everyone else. I like fashionable clothes but with a twist. The film Gone with the Wind and the decades from the 50′s till the 70′s inspire me. Coco Chanel and Sonia Rykiel have always been my favourite designers.”

Jeonga, 30
“I love primary colours. They make everyone happy. Now I’m wearing second hand which I’ve bought in Australia and in Finland. The hat, the socks and the scarf I bought at UFF yesterday. I mostly buy second hand, because it’s unique, fun and cheap.”

Anna, 23
“The cape is from Vintage Ansa and it’s also called Anna. The beanie is a gift from a friend, the scarf is self-made, the pullover and the bag are second hand. I like nude, beige and other down-to-earth colours. I like loose, comfortable and droopy clothes like big pullovers.”

Jade, 21
“Today I have a black day. I’m wearing a hat from Vintage Ansa, a Weekday dress, shoes from Zio and a Fjällräven backbag. Right now I’m inspired by the colour orange and my pink hair colour.”

Anna-Sofia, 20
“I made the vest out of an old men’s shirt. The high platforms are handy when standing in the festival crowd. I like brim hats, straw hats, cropped t-shirts with high-waisted jeans, capes, knits and layers.”

Meeri, 23
“I just came from Barcelona where I accidentally found a store called Me and My Bitch. I bought 10 things, including this shirt and pants. The handbag is my grandmother’s old. I like vintage, especially the 50s. I appreciate ethic production, naturalness and handicraft in clothes.”

Annika, 21
“I’m wearing a vintage hat from Beyond Retro in Stockholm, a vintage Max Mara coat and shoes from Lilly. I like soft and comfortable clothes. I couldn’t live without hats and other accessories. Italian movies from the 50s and the 60s inspire me.”

Molla, 32
“I’m wearing a second hand shirt and a self-made skirt and bag. To celebrate Ofelia market I added some steam punk inspiration like brown colours and the magnifying glass necklace from Sofia. Crocheting inspires me. My style often resembles an urban commando, with men’s trousers and combat boots. I would like to wear more 50s elements though.”

What inspires you?

L’Équipe SWAP débute la nouvelle année de façon sensationnelle. Voici nos plus récentes statistiques!

À l’automne 2011 nos divisions de Calgary et de Montréal ont permis d’échanger 1 988 articles et ont donné 5 227 articles à des œuvres de bienfaisances. Un gros bravo pour ces résultats!

Voici nos résultats pour l’année 2011 seulement :

13 807 vêtements échangés
14 997 vêtements donnés à des œuvres de bienfaisance
27 804 vêtements détournés des sites d’enfouissement

Voici maintenant nos résultats au TOTAL :

30 264 vêtements échangés
37 312 vêtements donnés à des œuvres de bienfaisance
67 576 vêtements détournés des sites d’enfouissement … et ce nombre augmente toujours!

Faisons de 2012 l’année de l’échange et continuons à faire augmenter ces nombres en respectant notre devise : « Partagez, c’est bien! ».

Un ÉNORME merci à tous les swappeurs qui ont rendu ces résultats possibles.

Continuer à SWAPPER!

L’Équipe SWAP

The SWAP Team is off to a fabulous start into the New Year – Here are our latest stats!

In Fall 2011 our chapters in Calgary and Montreal swapped 1,988 items and donated 5,227 items to charity. Big congrats on that!

Here are our numbers from 2011 only:

12,807 garments swapped
14,997 garments donated to charities
27,804 garments diverted from landfills 

And here are our updated numbers in TOTAL:

30,264 garments swapped
37,312 garments donated to charities
67,576 garments diverted from landfills
$605,280 saved by swapping … and counting!

Let’s make 2012 the year of swapping and continue to push those numbers up by following our motto: “Sharing is good!”

A HUGE Thank You to all the swappers who made this happen.

SWAP on!

The SWAP Team

My fellow swappers,

It is a common truth that many of us who are lucky enough to have a holiday on Boxing Day use the better part of it to forage for bargains. If one commits to waking up early enough, one might even be entitled to obtain a big-ticket ‘’door crasher’’ item for a fraction of its retail price, such as a 3-D projecting TV screen or a hydraulic BBQ powered by its very own thumb-sized cold fusion reactor.

OK, so I made that last item up. My point is that on Boxing Day, the consumer in us tends to go a little haywire and incites us to buy things we don’t really need.

Just what is it about Boxing Day that draws us away from our warm comfy homes to spend more than on any other day of the year? – Part of the answer may lie in the following advert I spotted in Winnipeg’s Portage Place Mall during Boxing Week (you may have noticed its French counterpart in various stores across Montreal):

THE solution for gift fatigue: Be savvy, be swappy!

Gift fatigue. My initial reaction to reading that was, ‘’Yeah, I know what you mean. I don’t want any more presents.’’ It took me a few seconds to figure out that the ad was inviting me to buy something I liked to make up for any gifts I was disappointed with. Such as socks.

I don’t know about you, but the folks I spend Christmas with make it a tradition of giving socks and underwear every Christmas, and I can’t imagine life without that. It’s the present I know I’m going to get every year, and I look forward to it, because it eliminates the need for me to go out and buy them. I haven’t bought socks and underwear in over five years. What’s the real gift behind the undies? It’s one less thing for me to think about during the year, and there’s no better gift than that kind of thoughtfulness.

So what to do if you didn’t receive anything that made you all giddy inside? Well, you can listen to the ad, and buy something else, but why not take it a step further and try to trade it? With Craigslist and googleable (not a real adjective yet, but undoubtedly will be one day) swapping sites at our fingertips, a whole world of trade is available for us to explore.

Swap away!

Laura

Photo taken by Christian Roy

Written by Nadya Ershova

December is here, and so the end of the year comes along. It is time to summarize the results of the past SWAP season.  This year my wardrobe got a great update thanks to three clothing swaps!

The first one was at the YWCA.

Left: my favorite fall item! Right: a black blouse with a pink lace inset, which I also got at a swap event, the one at Place-Des-Arts.

This SWAP brought me my biggest catch. I have already written about it here, but I cannot resist the pleasure of talking about it again and again. So here it is! My favorite dress ever: a grey dress from the 80s. As you remember, it was Aleece who brought the dress to this event. She bought it in a Brooklyn vintage store, but eventually realized the color didn’t suit her, so she decided to swap it! The dress was made in the 80s, but the cut was inspired by a 50s revival which was going on at the time. I wore it to the Piknic Electronik, got my picture taken for the SWAP gallery and even gave an interview for the SWAP video.

Another great piece I got at the event was a hippie flowery coat. It stayed abandoned in my closet for quite a long time, because I have a hard time combining patterned clothes, but this fall, I got a fashion epiphany! Solid blue, brown, and pink pieces help the coat  stand out, making the coat my favorite fall item.

The biggest event of the year was the mega Place-Des-Arts clothing swap.

It lasted for two days and occupied the whole of the Grand Foyer Culturel (indoors) of the Place des Arts. I was volunteering, and thus did not have much time to hunt. Still, my instincts helped me spot a few pieces which now occupy an important part of my wardrobe:

First, I want to show you my three dresses.

Better knee long!

Esprit brand dress

This nice blue dress is made of cotton and the top part fits perfectly. The secret of the perfect fitting? The dress has elastic insets on the back. The stylist consultant who volunteered for the event, Jeff Golf, gave me a great suggestion: if I shorten the dress up to the knee, the silhouette will be more balanced. I haven’t got around to shortening it yet, but I totally agree with him.

The second dress is from the brand Esprit. It is made of thin silky polyester and has a lining. It does not stick to the body, and has a loose-fitting cut that makes it very comfortable during hot summer days. I love the tricolor Indian pattern, and that its blue hue goes well with my eye color.
I wore it for the second day of the SWAP and showed it to the visitors of the event. “Look, I got it here yesterday!” Some girl from the crew recognized the dress. She had spotted it on the racks before I did, but the size didn’t fit her. The dress was clearly waiting for me

Amazing shoes

No doubt, you have noticed the summery sandals in the previous picture. Yes, I got them at the clothing SWAP event, too! The wedges are made of wood, but the shoes are not slippery at all. They have rubber cover pieces attached to the sole. The straps may promise some blisters, though. If it is indeed the case then I will simply swap the shoes again.

The golden flats you see on the picture were also found at the YWCA event!

The third dress is a real godsend. Given the quality of the fabric and the look of the label, I believe this is genuine 80s. It is always the dream of a thrift shopper or swapper to find something this genuine. The brand is FIORICCI and it still exists, you can check it out here: http://selecteddenim.com/.

I know you would say it fits me perfectly. It does! However, it is not easy to put on – and it is even more difficult to take off. The thick fabric does not stretch much, and the skirt part is quite tight. Still, I am very determined to wear it as often as possible!
It is actually made in Canada! Good old – oh, I guess I am allowed to say it – vintage stuff!

Emanuel Ungaro

This incredible Emanuel Ungaro vest was a piece I fell in love with at first sight. The color, the cut, all this was an ultimate match with my style and appearance. The beige goes well with blue, so I combined the vest with a pair of jeans and an awesome 70s style hat I found at Renaissance.

Porcelain skirt

The third event was at the Piknic Electronik festival.

It was a pretty small event compared to the Place-Des-Arts one. The SWAP Team had only one tent. However, the items  present  were very different from the ones usually present at swaps: more accessories, more bright items – the SWAP team did its best to match the festive spirit of the Piknic!
At this swap, I got a milky white maxi skirt with embroidered flowers.The skirt is made of wool, and it wraps over the body. I like it very much; it reminds me of a fine Chinese porcelain with a delicately hand-painted ornament. However, I have trouble finding items to pair it with. Winter is approaching, and I think I might be able to match it with something like a black fur Russian hat, a faux fur black coat and big army boots with ribbed soles. Maybe you guys have any other suggestions on what to combine it with?

Cat eye sunglasses

I also grabbed some over-sized, cool-shaped sunglasses. The outer corners are elevated a bit, giving them a cat-eye look.
Every fashionista needs to have many accessories to accent her outfits. However, when the style changes, the old accessories do not fit it anymore and need to be replaced. Well, when that happens, bring your not-fitting-anymore sunglasses, belts, bracelets and necklaces to our events and exchange them for the ones that do fit!

Part of my growing collection of swapped clothes

The year 2011 is almost over. It brought me tons of positive emotions and great clothes. I cannot wait to see what new clothing and emotions the next year will bring!

What? you say, The dreaded regift? The dark side of holiday cheer?

Regifting is the best way to spend less and have the most of fun!

That’s exactly right. I got to thinking about regifting this year as I was purchasing presents for my nieces and nephew. I kept feeling guilty because what they and I really want, not just for Christmas, but for life, is to spend time with each other. Buying them stuff just seems to fly in the face of that. This calls for a change!

Looking back, I do remember the great feelings I would get as a child when I was given a present by someone I loved. No matter what it was, it was the best present ever because it came from someone I loved without restriction. That’s not to say I feel it’d be appropriate for me to give them the wine decanter that’s been hanging out in the back of my closet for the past two years, but something tells me that if I look through my things, I can find stuff to give them that will satisfy both their excitement and anticipation on Christmas Day AND my desire to bring them joy without spoiling them. The way I see it, the world and its ideas can change all they want, but childhood by definition never will. My wee ones more than likely feel exactly the same way as I did, and that is why I should explore the art of regifting with them.

Come to think of it, I know exactly what amongst my things one of my nieces wants: my cherry-patterned purse (swapped!), and that fuzzy scarf (knit with gifted yarn) she doesn’t know I’ve seen her burying her face in (just thinking about it gives me an attack of the cuteness). Okay sweetie, because it’s Christmas and love always wants to share, this year they’re yours. And I know you’ll take good care of them.

Well, that’s two presents taken care of, but what about that wine decanter? Surely it could be a special something too! Do you know someone who would like a wine decanter? Should I pass this query onto our facebook page? Could this be the start of an amazing regifting adventure?

Regifting is love. At least it can be, as long as we drop for ourselves the social stigmas that have been attached to it.

Swap on,

Laura

P.S. This entry was posted a little later than I expected (Christmas), so I thought I’d add a little update since we finished unwrapping presents just an hour or so ago.  The regifts were loved I ended up giving the swapped purse to my best friend instead of her daughter since there were chains on it that we were nervous she’d hit herself or her brother with if she swung it around (which she is most certainly likely to do).  My best friend loooooved it, and my niece took the scarf to her bed so she could snuggle with it at night.

Christmas mischief managed.

Happy holidays everyone!

Greetings fellow swappers,

My name is Laura, and I have the privilege of serving The SWAP Team as the volunteer manager of its Montreal chapter since 2009. I am happy and excited to now be a part of its blogging team! I thought I’d begin this new chapter of my life with The SWAP Team by giving you a little history of my time with them.

Back in 2008, a couple of friends of mine were volunteering at an event, and in an effort to spend more time with them, I hopped on board. I wasn’t really sure what The SWAP Team was about, but I remember noticing that people seemed encouraged and happy to part with clothing and accessories they had previously hesitated in simply giving away.

Three years and many clothing swaps later, I am in awe at what we’ve achieved. Our little idea of bringing people together to swap their clothes in the name of charity isn’t so little anymore. With growing interest from home and abroad, we are in a position to work with and support every community-minded organization we partner with. We have also positioned ourselves to educate, in what we hope are fun ways, those who wish to adapt their consumer habits to our growing awareness of how our actions affect the environment and the people who work in the textile and fashion industries.

Take Off Your Clothes swap event at the Place des Arts Montreal, July 2011.

The response to our efforts from the public has been staggering. Whenever I wonder if I’m trying hard enough, or if we’re doing enough, I have but to look at the constant flow of ideas and feedback the swapping community shares with us to know that we’re giving our supporters everything they need to feel good and and to be excited about being a part of what we do. They in turn provide us with the encouragement we need to keep pushing ourselves to effect change on a greater level through our events and our presence in the community.

I love morning coffee! - preparing the swap event at the Place des Arts, July 2011.

I’d like to thank everyone who has played a part in our events, as a participant or volunteer. You are the reason we do what we do. I look forward to seeing you at our next event.

SWAP on!

Laura