Four ways to reuse and recycle your clothing
How to clean out your closet and wind up looking cooler than ever
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If there’s a silver lining to the Great Recession cloud, it’s that some of us have been forced to be a little less wasteful. Instead of consuming willy-nilly, Americans are starting to keep their stuff around a little bit longer, fixing things instead of just tossing them in the garbage, and getting all creative around the house. One way to pinch pennies and help out ol’ Mother Earth is to take a look in your closet for unworn, worn out, or should-never-be-worn-again items and find ways to reuse, sell, or reuse and then sell them. In advance of this year's Swap-O-Rama-Rama, which takes place Saturday at Milwaukee Sewing Machine from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., here’s our guide to nifty ways to work with pre-loved duds.
Started in 2005 by New Yorker Wendy Tremayne, Swap-O-Rama-Rama is a clothing swap meet held in cities around the country where attendees can also get free sewing and other crafty lessons from experts. Bring a bag of clothes and five bucks, and then scour the tables for duds to reuse. Since Milwaukee’s next event is at a sewing store, you can bring a bag of usable fabric to trade, too. Crafting stations will feature silk-screening, knitting, fancy computer sewing machines, embroidery, and more. Swappers spruce up their finds throughout the day, and then there’s a big fashion show at the end.
2. ReThreads
While thrift stores, consignment shops, and vintage stores have been around for as long as people have had ill-fitting clothing to unload, ReThreads’ focus on trendy, designer fashions and its buy-or-sell model (as opposed to consignment) is new to adult clothing shops in Milwaukee. This is your best option if you aren’t skilled with a sewing machine but want to be both eco-friendly and budget conscious. It’s about as easy as clothing reuse gets: Bring in a tub of your unwanted clothing and let the folks at ReThreads pick through it while you grab a latte next door at Alterra. They’ll give you cash, but you get a better deal if you take in-store credit, so take some time to browse this used-clothing boutique.
3. Freecycle
This is an adventurous way to pick up and get rid of clothing—or anything—for free. Freecycle operates in cities around the country through Yahoo Groups message boards. Once you sign up, you’re bombarded with e-mails from members offering or looking for all kinds of things, like empty baby food jars, cat leashes, televisions, and bags of perfectly usable clothing. While you can easily pick up a garment you love, Freecycle is perfect for rounding up material to work into new items. (Put the skills you learned at Swap-O-Rama-Rama into action.) It’s also entertaining: As a Freecycler, you will be treated to the occasional bizarre post offering treasures like a “haunted (but working!) microwave.”
4. Sparrow Collective
Want that handmade, reclaimed-fabric look without the effort? Most of the independent designers who sell at Sparrow Collective work with reused materials to make one-of-a-kind fashions. You’ll find painted T-shirts, embroidered hoodies, sassy dresses, and wallets made out of old upholstery here. This is one of the easiest ways to be less wasteful with your fashion choices, especially if you can’t knit a stitch or sew a line. And while you’re not necessarily saving a ton of money, you can feel good knowing you’ve helped out the earth and put a little cash in the pocket of an artist who is more talented than you.
