Alyssa Engebretson
Re-wear It is a UW Madison club focused on promoting conscious consumerism by encouraging ethical, sustainable lifestyles and purchasing habits. Yvett Sanchez started Re-wear It in 2020, fueled by her passion for fashion and climate change mitigation. The purpose of the club is to provide education about the negative environmental impacts of the fashion industry. I heard about the club at a Sustain Dane event and knew that I wanted to learn more. On October 30th they hosted their first clothing swap.
Clothing swaps are a type of swapmeet where participants exchange clothing they no longer wear for clothing they will use. At the event everyone who wanted to participate met in a large classroom with long tables. The tables were labelled with clothes categories and had clothing folded for people to look through and try on. I brought five clothing items; one pair of shorts, two long-sleeves, a dress, and a pair of jeans, and exchanged them for five new equivalent items.
This clothing swap reminded me of when I would get hand-me-downs from my older cousin. Growing up we were neighbors so we spent a lot of time together. When my aunt brought over bags full of my cousin’s old clothes for me to try-on I was ecstatic- it felt like Christmas morning. Even if the clothes didn’t fit me properly I didn’t mind- it was new to me and it felt special. Clothing swaps have filled my hand-me-down-void by giving me an opportunity to get new clothing items in exchange for the clothes I no longer wear, and bonus- they get to be enjoyed by someone else. What’s more, clothing swaps like these not only save us money, they also help us think more clearly about how we can reduce our waste and give new life to clothes we already own. By reducing our need to purchase new clothes, we can help reduce our carbon footprint and build a more sustainable future.
Alyssa is a senior at Edgewood College studying Communications with a concentration in Media and Message. She is passionate about fighting climate change and is excited to connect with the community and articulate the benefits of creating a more sustainable world through decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and other environmentally friendly practices.
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