Yes you read that right, last night I ‘swished’!!!! Have you heard of swishing? It’s been popular in the US for a long time but has only been here in the UK for the last year. I have fancied giving it a go but I still hadn’t seen anything local to me until last night. Sooooo swishing is all about recycling unwanted clothing, accessories and shoes. You take along your unwanted items where they are placed on rails, tables or otherwise along with everyone else’s unwanted items. You get a little browsing time to see if anything takes your fancy and then you wait until you’re told it’s time to swish. At that point you can find (without fighting) items which you would like to replace the ones you took.
The Swishing Event I attended last night had been organised by South Holland District Council who are keen to encourage residents to reduce, reuse and recycle. We each took 5 items of clothing, accessories or shoes and in exchange could choose up to 5 items. Of course, it’s the luck of the draw, you might find yourself a little gem, you might find nothing at all but I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself because I managed to find myself a few cool bits and pieces, all for the price of some clothing which has been gathering dust in my wardrobe!
Unfortunately we arrived a little late to the event as I got my wires crossed with the start time so we missed the browsing time. To make it a little more of an ‘event’ and to show people just what is available in thrift shops and charity shops they put on a fashion show and even had a little live music to keep the ambience going whilst everyone was busy swishing.
I must admit it did seem a little frantic in the beginning as people scrabbled through the rails to find something for themselves as time went on and people had returned items to the rails once they realised they weren’t the right size or style for them it all felt much calmer. A bit like how it feels a few days after the sales have started in the shops – I’m never one for the first day of a sale, far too chaotic for me. So I’m a swishing convert, now I’ve just got to keep my eyes peeled for the next event!