It’s Sustainable Fashion Week in the UK – a dedicated 7 days on the calendar for spreading awareness about making choices about clothing and accessories that are better for the planet.  To kick off this important series of events, Cherwell Collective hosted its second annual Clothing Swap event at the Tap Social Tap Rooms in Oxford.

For the second year in a row, Cherwell Collective is the host and organiser for the Oxford Hub of Sustainable Fashion Week.  The clothing swap was just one of several activities planned for this week, with a marquee event happening on Wednesday, 1 October: The Ripples of Change sustainable fashion show at Blenheim Palace. Tickets for that event are still available at the time of writing.

While the Blenheim Palace runway show represents high fashion and features a mix of both professional and amateur designers focused on sustainability, clothing swaps offers an opportunity for ordinary citizens to make more planet-friendly choices when it comes to fashion.

Why a Clothing Swap?

It is often surprising to learn that fashion – including clothing, shoes, and wearable accessories – contributes an estimated 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions that are altering the planet’s climate. A key way that ordinary consumers can help fight these emissions and preserve a healthier planet is by extending the life of clothing.  When clothing is kept around for longer, it signals to the commercial marketplace not to overproduce items, such as those found in fast fashion.

Clothing swaps are beneficial because, eventually, many of us tire of our clothing. However, a garment that no longer sparks joy for one person may bring a smile to someone else.  Clothing swaps facilitate exchanges that get clothing items into the hands of those who would benefit most, without forcing anyone to buy items. This sort of life extension is a key way to participate in the circular economy.

Clothing Swap Success

We planned the 2025 Clothing Swap in coordination with our friends from CAG Oxfordshire (Community Action Groups).  Attendees brought clothing to exchange, and in turn, they were able to select a corresponding number of items to take with them.  Overall, roughly 100 people participated and took home 248 items, saving 66 kilograms of clothing from landfill! 

Roughly 128 kilograms of clothing were donated overall. Therefore, once the event was over, the leftover clothing was bagged up and donated to Oxford Gatehouse, which will distribute the items at their free clothes store for people who use their services. 

Incorporating Sustainable Practices Every Day

To get participants to think holistically about how to engage in sustainable fashion practices after the event, our evaluation team spoke with all patrons. We provided a survey that encouraged everyone to consider incorporating one of the following practices into their everyday life:

Survey question: How likely are you to source a new outfit in the following ways?

ANSWERSNo. Votes
Be Informed – Look for information and resources to help me make sustainable fashion choices8
Buy Less buy better – Buy natural fibres and higher quality, durable clothing less often and only when necessary17
Shop secondhand first – Shop for second hand clothes and don’t buy new unless I have to34
Wear, Repair, Repeat – Choose to wear what I have for longer rather than buy new and/ or repair items29
Think Smaller – Avoid big brands and shop from sustainable independent brands and retailers9
Total no. of votes97

There are, of course, no wrong answers here, because each one of the five options is a technique for reducing the overproduction of clothing!

Learn More

Starting at the conclusion of Sustainable Fashion Week, Cherwell Collective will set up a Carbon Cost of Fashion Exhibition at Oxford Town Hall. You can access it in the Old Cloakroom from 10am to 5pm every Monday – Friday from 4 October to 18 October. The exhibition provides a wealth of additional information about the challenges posed by different kinds of fabrics and materials, the cost of fast fashion, and consumer habits you can adopt to support a healthy planet.