In 2004, I started a little sustainable fashion project at RMIT for a Fashion Masters Thesis, where I hosted clothes swapping events to enable the ladies of Melbourne to swap the clothing they were not wearing for a ‘new’ wardrobe.

Broadly speaking, the idea of a clothing exchange became the answer to Australia’s wasteful consumption problem that amounts to more than $1.7 billion misspent on clothes that are never worn by fashionistas every year.

In the planning, the intention was to go well beyond releasing these wasted garments from closeted detention while providing a cheaper way to shop. The exchange would become a friendly and social engagement that would bring people together to witness the collective shrinking of their ecological footprint.

There were some eco-savvy ladies who were greatly inspired by the idea of ditching shopping for swapping, which was a great suprise.

To my sheer delight, they became my trusted team who would help radicalise, develop and assist with what is now known by everyone, from forward-thinking fashionistas to frugal grandma’s as The Clothing Exchange.

Our signature event became an instant hit in the 2006 L’Oreal Fashion week. It was greatly enhanced by the gaggle of excited designers, who, laden with their Gucci and Prada, sweet-talked their way in at the last minute. Over the years, we’ve had events big and small and for all kinds of folks. In 2007, the media had finally caught up with the movement and every major newspaper started calling to seek material for their ‘feature on sustainable fashion’. In 2008, the Global Financial Crisis spelled bad news for most businesses, but it was a big year for swapping as people were looking for cheaper ways to attain the clothing they desired.

While Melbourne has always been the home of swapping in Australia, the demand increased to include host swappers in other Aussie states.

The scale of our events were increasing and we were fortunate to find a new home at the then ‘BMW Edge’ at Federation Square. In 2010, we invented National Swap Day, which we host at Fed Square, that helps raise awareness about the ecological and environmental need to replace shopping with swapping.

The thought was to start a small, regular clothing exchange that would help people save the earth and their pennies, which has since kick-started Australia’s latest fashion; the swap-shop. Unlike most fashions and fads, I believe this one has the social and environmental relevance to stick around for the long haul. The community of devoted swappers in Melbourne alone is warm, welcoming and growing every day.