Second hand shopping has become a favorite of mine, mostly because you can often find really beautiful products for a fraction of the price! I get an extra thrill when I find a made in the USA product at a thrift store– a double win.

This Saturday, May 14, the Ethical Writer’s Coalition is hosting a spring clothing swap. Bring your friends and clothes that you are ready to part ways with, and collect a few new items for yourself! I will also be there selling IMBY, so there will be the opportunity to buy some new, ethically made clothes. Details are available here.

To celebrate the swap, my fellow EWC members have put together some of their thoughts and reflection on items they love that are second hand.  Also check out EWC member Hanna Baror-Padilla’s new Kickstarter for Sotela, a collection of beautiful dresses that span multiple traditional sizes for the ever changing woman (I already bought mine!) and Kamea Chayne’s new book, Thrive!

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Faye Lessler, Sustaining Life

Ever since I was 10, every time I went over to a close friend’s house, I would bring a bag of clothing with me and come home with a few fun, new-to-me pieces to add to my closet. To me, swapping is about trying new things and creating stories around our relationships through our clothing!

Catherine Harper, Walking with Cake

I have a vintage watch and purse that I wear all the time. To me, these things get better with age and I like knowing that there’s a history behind the pieces I use on a regular basis. It’s fun to imagine the women who loved them in the past.

Alden Wicker, EcoCult

I have this one pair of pants I got from the last EWC fashion swap – well, I got two great pairs of pants actually. One is a pair of black jeans from Banana Republicthat I wear constantly. The other pair of pants are the ones I’m thinking of, though. They’re super skinny, with a black-and-white abstract pattern and a lay-flat zipper in the front. Honestly? I’m sure they weren’t expensive to begin with. And I probably never would have bought them new. And yet, they were free at the swap, they were in my favorite colors (black and white) and they fit, so I took them home with me. I pulled them on one night to go out to a party at a nearby bar. I met my fiance there, and he took one look at me and said, “You’re butt looks so good in those.” He grabbed my female friend and dragged her over to confer. She agreed. “Your butt. Amazing.” Now I wear them whenever I need a particularly sexy confidence boost.

I think we all buy different things secondhand than we do new. Shopping new is an exercise in careful selection. It is reasoned. You come in with a plan and execute. Secondhand shopping is all serendipity. You could go in with a plan, and that might sort of work in a large store. But more likely you’ll stumble on something you never knew you wanted, for the perfect price. And it will become a favorite.

Addie Benson, Old World New

“Reuse, sustain, make old new again.”  That’s my motto, and my favorite old things to make new again are clothes.  Finding timeless pieces at thrift stores, vintage shops, garage sales, and even at clothing swaps make for a great curated closet.  Sometimes I’m amazed by my finds and wonder how anyone could have ever let them go, until I head to my closet and realize my style has evolved and that I, too, need to donate or swap some things that I once loved to don regularly.  The cycle of donating clothes and finding more second hand clothes to wear is exhilarating.  It is never the same twice, but it is always a fruitful adventure that yields endless style possibilities!

Leah Wise, Style Wise

I attended my first swap two years ago, right before two of my dear friends moved away. We laid everything out in a friend’s living room, sipped wine, and had a lovely time trying on each other’s clothing. Even though we were all different sizes, we found lots of things that fit. Plus, it’s so wonderful to have a few items to remember my friends by now that they live far away.

Elizabeth Stilwell, The Note Passer

I find there’s a delicate balance between holding tight to items I love and letting go of ones that no longer add value to my life. But once I decide to let go, I’m happy to see the thing change hands and bring pleasure to someone else. I love our swaps because I’m able to see someone delight in one of my items in person—squealing, grinning, and mugging for the camera with their new love—it’s quite different than dropping it off at a thrift store to go who knows where. The excitement for both giver and receiver is intoxicating. I highly recommend it!

Renee Peters, Model4greenliving

I have a pair of boots from my favorite consignment shop that I have worn almost every day, for the past two winters, all over New York. The soles are worn and the heels need repair. The effort to restore them pales in comparison to the joy that they bring me. They have endured countless city miles, northeastern arctic chills, and Parisian cobblestone streets. They have also shared some my best memories and proudest moments.

Whether worn for work or for play, these boots are an essential in my life. I am thankful for whoever resold them rather than throwing them away. They gave an old item new life. They prevented more waste from entering our ever-crowded landfills and provided me with the perfect shoe for my needs.

That is why, whenever I am ready to lose the items that no longer serve me, I am happy to participate in a clothing swap with my friends and neighbors. I know that my unwanted things could bring even more joy to someone new, just as those boots have for me. And who knows… maybe I will find my next favorite thing at the clothing swap too!

Holly Rose, Leotie Lovely

I’ve been second-hand shopping since I was a kid. I used to spend all the money I made from selling femo figurines at the market, babysitting and the few little acting parts I got at a second-hand store which was about a ten minute walk from my house. Back then, I had no idea shopping outside the mall was ‘Green’, to me, it was just an avenue to a sense of independence and individuality that I couldn’t find elsewhere. Today, it is a sense of magic that draws me, I feel much-loved pieces find me, not the other way around. The second-hand shopping in here Paris is insane, I did a whole Vlog post on it here for Fashion Revolution Week, they make their second-hands store look like any other Parisian boutique and it is filled with French women’s unwanted clothing which leaves little room for complaint!

Chandra Fox, These Native Goods

Whenever I go home to visit my mom a closet raid is a must, we have always loved swapping clothing. It is very nostalgic sorting through the pieces with her, clothing she wore and loved throughout my childhood. Luckily for me she is always happy to share, to see the pieces continue on to new adventures. Last year she handed down a pair of Levi’s that she had set aside for me. I gave her the jeans as a gift back in the 90’s, they no longer fit her so she wanted me to take over ownership. My mom loves gardening and she did a ton of it in these jeans. They have a slight brownish tinge that doesn’t wash out as a reminder of that and the fit is a little boyish, with a serious case of cowboy crotch. But they are perfect, I hope one day to pass them down to my own daughter.

Bianca Alexander, Conscious Living TV

As part of my commitment to Conscious Living, for the past two years, I’ve sworn to buy no new clothes. To me, swapping is the new shopping! Whether attending a swap party with some of my most fashionable friends, vintage hunting, or treasure-troving at the local Goodwill, nothing beats second-hand style. I already have so many beautiful pieces in my wardrobe, so I try to be extra-mindful of only incorporating items that, in the spirit of Marie Kondo, truly bring me joy. One of my favorite buys is this ‘60’s leopard-like vintage faux fur coat I picked up at American Rag in San Francisco – it’s vegan like me, one of a kind and goes with everything in my closet whether I dress up or down. I get compliments each time I wear it, and it’s so unique, I’ll never see a doppelgänger. Vintage, secondhand and recycled fashion is not only timeless, it’s the most conscious way to make a powerful fashion statement.