An organization focused on lowering the impact of fast-fashion
Sustainable Swaps is dedicated to providing communities with a platform to exchange secondhand clothing. Our goal is to extend the lifespan of garments and foster a circular economy, ensuring that each piece of clothing continues to bring value and joy to its new owner.
Our clothing swaps promote reusing textiles, lower the impact of fast-fashion, and build community in the fashion world. Attendees can trade clothing, in addition to enjoying the festival and the sense of community it provides.
Every event is different but generally, you can expect a main clothing swap section, on-site alterations, arts and vintage clothing vendors, food and drink vendors, live music or djs, and several additional creative collectives!
WHY SHOULD WE CARE?
Our History
Sustainable Swaps was founded by Mireya Zellner on a whim back in October 2021. Her mission was to find a fun way to get rid of clothing she never wore. From there sparked a newfound interest in the second-hand market and the fashion industry’s consumptions habits.
The idea has only grew from there. What was once 15 people attending events has now surpassed over 1,300 people. Although starting small, the each event has grown exponentially, with each event garnering over 150+ pounds of clothing to donate to non-profits in need.
Founder Statement
Hi, My name is Mireya and I am the founder of Sustainable Swaps! In 2021 during my second year of college, I was looking at my closet and felt like I had way too many clothes that I never wore, yet I was bored with everything I had. I didn’t have much money to shop and I really did not want to add more items to the landfill. A good friend of mine gave me the idea to host a little flea-market for our friends in the Boston Common. I thought we could take this one step further and do a clothing-swap-market. So, I made a flyer on Word Document and posted it on all of my social media. That was the beginning of Sustainable Swaps. The first event had about 10-15 people, but little in size, and big in heart. The energy was high, we listened to music on my speaker and it was a perfect day in the park. Since then, we have had events much larger and more professional, but in my opinion, that was one of my favorite swaps.
Being passionate about both fashion and sustainability, this community is perfect for young adults such as myself. This is the time for younger generations to step up and work on lowering our carbon footprint in any way that we can! I hope to have created an environment where people are more focused on re-using second-hand clothing rather than shopping at big brands.
Finally, I want to say that although I am technically the “creator” of Sustainable Swaps, I would have absolutely nothing without the community that it has grown. Sustainable Swaps is all about the people. If there is nobody to swap clothing with, what is the point? The heart of Sustainable Swaps is you guys. If you are reading this, that means that you are a part of the reason Sustainable Swaps can continue to thrive. Thank you for keeping this idea flourishing.
