Are you looking to refresh your fall wardrobe? Want to send your unused clothes to a good home? Well then get your tickets now for the plus size clothing swap of greater Philadelphia!
This event is happening on Sunday, October 31st, 2021 from 10:00am until 1:00pm. The location is at the beautiful Bartram’s Garden located in Southwest Philadelphia, only fifteen minutes from Center City. Tickets are on sale now through Eventbrite, grab yours before they are gone!
To attend the clothing swap, participants must bring at least five pieces of clothing that is at least a size fourteen and above and in good condition. Make sure to bring an extra bag for all the great pieces you receive after swapping. Masks are required and those attending should remember to respect the park.
Beyond the excitement of the clothing swap, there will be raffles at the event from some amazing brands. Clothing companies will have raffles, FreeLabel and Nettle’s Tale will be featured. Many local businesses are attending as well, Lobo Mau which has beautiful clothing and Tesoro Design whose specialty is ethical leather. All of those brands focus on sustainability, ethically made clothing, and inclusive size ranges. Another raffle item is three annual subscriptions to Retold Recycling, a women-founded textile recycling company that sends your unusable clothes to many different places but never the landfill. Refreshments will be provided by the addition of a pop-up shop from Steady Hand Cafe. This event is made possible through the collaboration with Curve Conscious, a black, queer, woman-owned plus-size thrift store located in Fairmount.
I spoke with event organizer Donnelle Jageman who told me how this event came to be. She explained, “I created this event because a couple of folks started talking about doing a swamp on an Instagram page called SellTradePlus, which is an online plus consignment store. It seemed like that was a lot of interest, so I decided to look into it more. At first I thought it would be just a few people at someone’s house or backyard. Then I got more interest so I decided to look for a venue. Another member of the STP community, Dana, contacted Bartram’s Garden and we committed to a date.” Then Donnelle reached out to the aforementioned brands and businesses to see if they would be interested in getting involved which really rounded out the creation of the clothing swap.
Donnelle Jageman explained why she created this event and her thoughts on its importance. “It’s really about cultivating a community of like-minded people. We all love clothing but we’re concerned about the environment as well. Donating clothes to Goodwill doesn’t always mean they go to the best place and sometimes reselling is time-consuming. Why not have a huge clothing swap? It’s really coming together and I am extremely excited.”
I completely agree with her mission statement, this event is very important for many reasons. It gets community members in Philadelphia civically engaged, giving people a chance to get to know other people in their community, make friends, and support local businesses. Participants will be coming together to connect over their love for fashion. Sustainability is also at the forefront of this event, recognizing that loving fashion can also mean hurting our planet.
The Plus Size Clothing Swap of Greater Philadelphia is coming up soon. If you are interested in attending, get your tickets now. Share this event with your friends, check out the businesses being highlighted, and learn more about ways to create a more inclusive and sustainable fashion industry.
Link to the events tickets and information- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-plus-size-clothing-swap-of-greater-philadelphia-tickets-169190979775