Second hand clothes swap tomorrow in Derry

The event forms part of the programme for Fairtrade Fortnight, which is aimed at increasing awareness of Fairtrade products and principles of fair trade.

To partake in tomorrow’s clothes swap, people are encouraged to bring five items of clothing they no longer need, to exchange with five new (to you) items of clothing which will be on display and which other people have brought. There is a suggested donation of £3 at the door and any items of clothing above the five swapped will be charged at £1 each.

This year marks Derry’s fifth year as a Fairtrade City, advocating better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers.

Organisers said that the UK spends £27 billion on clothes each year and that most of this huge sum is pocketed long before it reaches the salaries of factory workers or cotton farmers. One-in-six people work in the global fashion industry. A majority of these workers are women earning less than $3 per day. The fashion industry is also the world’s second-largest polluter, behind the oil industry, they said, adding that this impact on the environment and trade justice highlights the true cost of fashion. However, an ethical fashion movement is growing, and clothes swaps are part of that movement.

Maeve O’Neill from Zero Waste North West said: “Clothing has the fourth largest environmental impact after housing, transport and food. But more and more people are moving away from fast fashion in favour of second hand clothing. Fairtrade clothing choices are also becoming much more popular. Our consumer choices really have the power to change the world.”

For more information visit Zero Waste North West’s Facebook Page.