How much clothing can we recycle together?
30,264 garments swapped
37,312 garments donated to charities
67,576 garments diverted from landfills
$605,280 saved by swapping … and counting!
The SWAP Team is a non-profit social enterprise run entirely by volunteers. It is the creator of “Take Off Your Clothes” – a giant clothing swap for charity.
Founded in 2007, The SWAP Team has formed chapters in Montreal, Boston, NYC, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Halifax, Winnipeg, Northampton (MA) and Quebec City, and is ever-expanding.
Our mission:
1. Provide good quality clothing to charities, who then use the clothes for their local community programs
2. Provide communities with an alternative to new clothing consumption (e.g., collaborative consumption)
3. Promote eco-friendly and socially conscious clothing consumption
4. Develop upcycled items from used clothing, textiles and waste materials from the garment industry (check out our sister project, Style & Conscience)
Aleece Germano, President and Founder
Aleece held her first clothing swap in her home in 2005. Two years later, after searching for an innovative way to bring people together to conserve, share and have fun, Take Off Your Clothes was born! A cheeky mix of music, fashion and community, the first event was such a success that it became a yearly addition to Montreal’s Piknic Electronik.
Necole Hines, Vice President of Operations
An active blogger, Necole writes about her love for fashion and all things creative. When she interviewed The SWAP Team for her blog in the fall of 2009, she became hooked on the concept of “eco-friendly swap shopping.” Necole started the very first satellite chapter of The SWAP Team in Calgary, and has been sharing her love of community, fashion and music since the spring 2010. In 2011, Necole moved on to the position of Vice-President of Operations to help out new chapters with their swap events. Email her at: necole@theswapteam.org.
Annie Cliche, Montreal Co-Chapter Director
Annie and her daughter Cole have been part of The SWAP Team since September 2009 and have enjoyed watching it grow. With plenty of hands-on volunteer experience, Annie guided the Ottawa and Boston chapters in setting up their wildly successful first events in spring 2010. In May 2010, she took on the role of Montreal Chapter Director with great enthusiasm. An experienced 3D and VFX Project Manager, Annie applies her skills in producing the biggest clothing swap Montreal has ever seen. SWAP til you drop!
Laura Vizbara, Montreal Co-Chapter Director
Laura claims to know nothing about fashion. But Laura likes people and she likes to talk, and that’s why she became a volunteer for The SWAP Team in 2009. By talking to everyone, she got to know The SWAP Team crew really well and so she became the volunteer manager in Montreal. Since 2012, she shares the position of Chapter Director with Annie Cliche. Laura is certain that one day she will learn more about fashion. But first, Laura will continue talking. Send Laura a mail at:laura@theswapteam.org
Isabelle Durand, Quebec City Chapter Director
Isabelle is a passionate fashionista and a recyclo-maniac. The word waste doesn’t belong in her vocabulary: she sells, donates or swaps her used goods (and sometimes those of her entourage) through various websites, organisations or events. With social justice as one of her core values, Isabelle has volunteered for charity organizations such as Children’s Wish and Amnesty International.
Marisol Simoes, Ottawa Chapter Director
Marisol came to The SWAP Team when participating at the very 1st swap edition in Ottawa. She had already considered doing a swap on her own, but when looking at The SWAP Team website, she decided to organize a Take Off Your Clothes swap event instead. Since the former Ottawa Chapter Director had to resign due to time constraints, Marisol took over that role with great enthusiasm. Being a restaurant/bar owner, she has plenty of experience as a task juggler – whatever happens, Marisol stays ahead of the game! SWAP on! Drop Marisol a mail at: marisol@theswapteam.org
Stacey Savage, Calgary Co-Chapter Director
Meet Stacey Savage, passionate fashionista and Co-Chapter Director of our great SWAP crew in Calgary! Together with her best friend Vanessa Erickson (see below), she forms the leader dream team that took over the job from former Chapter Director Necole Hines, who moved on to the position of Vice-President of Operations for The SWAP Team. Stacey is always on the lookout for local designers, partners, sponsors, new volunteers, venues, ideas – her energy is endless! Mail: stacey@theswapteam.org
Vanessa Erickson, Calgary Co-Chapter Director
Meet Vanessa Erickson, who was the one introducing Stacey to The SWAP Team and got her on board within seconds! Vanessa started as a volunteer for The SWAP Team in May 2009 and has enriched the Calgary crew with her expertise in PR and event management ever since. Being a passionate fashionista herself, she loves to attend any sort of fashion events and dress up for it with clothes from the last SWAP. You can reach Vanessa at: vanessa@theswapteam.org
Gail Burgin, Toronto Chapter Director
Gail Burgin was born at St. Mike’s hospital in downtown Toronto and has lived no more than 15 minutes away ever since. In her career as an event producer/meeting planner, Gail has worked in all the major centres in Canada, and many big cities in the U.S. If you’d like to volunteer for our next Toronto event, contact Gail at:toronto@theswapteam.org
PattyAnne Falconer-LePage, Winnipeg Chapter Director
PattyAnne is a mover. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she has moved to and lived in Toronto, Lake Louise and St. Andrews, New Brunswick. However, for the last 15 years PattyAnne, the traveler, has made Winnipeg her home. Less traveling means more time to think about ways to help the environment, and that’s what PattyAnne does with all her heart! Her whole family is a hotbed of frugalistas that are best in creating something new out of something old, and so PattyAnne got hooked up with The SWAP Team and its mission. Welcome aboard! If you want to volunteer for the Winnipeg chapter, email PattyAnne at: winnipeg@theswapteam.org
Nicole Picard, Advisory Board
Nicole met Aleece while launching her spring 2007 collection for her label, Fairyesque. After working together at Montreal Fashion Week, the two quickly realized their shared passion for fashion, conservation and public service. Fairyesque became the first fashion house to sponsor Take Off Your Clothes, and donated hundreds of new items to the event – hidden on the racks for swappers to discover!
Danielle Robichaud, Advisory Board
A member of the founding volunteer team and advisor to The SWAP Team on all things green, Danielle writes children’s books and devotes herself to the causes she holds dear, like preserving our planet. You’ll find her at Montreal’s edition of Take Off Your Clothes dancing in the racks and hugging the volunteers.
Tonya Surman, Advisory Board
Raised by hippies, Tonya has been making peace signs and raising a ruckus since the day she was born. Her most recent ruckus is the Centre for Social Innovation. As founding executive director, Tonya imagines the Centre as space that sparks creativity, connectedness and fun. Between experiments in social entrepreneurship, Tonya has found the time to advise The SWAP Team on its social mandate, create a coop daycare, host chaotic street parties and create community gardens.
Simon Law, Resident Geek
Our master of tech doesn’t code without style. And we’re not talking about style sheets – we mean bow ties! Whether it’s dress-up day or Groundhog Day, Simon uses his flair to keep our web site well groomed and our team focused on the future.
