26 . 04 . 2012
Start summer with Ethik BGC
written by Alicia Poumeyrol
Hi Everyone!
For my first post as a blogger/swapper, I am going to tell you about one of the partners of The SWAP Team Ethik BGC. Ethik BGC is a social economic project of FEM International, a non-profit organization created in 2005 which supports women entrepreneurs who run sustainable business.
FEM International’s mission is to :
- Inform women who want to become entrepreneurs
- Create a market for the goods and services provided by these women
- Educate about responsible consumption
- Stimulate local and international volunteer work
Ethik BGC is a team of over 40 designers from 18 different cultural backgrounds. The team presents an ethic and unicque selection of clothes and accessories for women, men and children.
Here is a selection from some of the designers :
” Style Perez ” designer only uses recycled material to create clothing line.
” Soul Fibre ” The mother and daughter design team places a great importance to production and donate 10% of their sales to young business women at World YMCA.
Sofia Mendez Schenone, a chilean designer of brand ” SOFIA ” does all her production in Vancouver. She only uses quality fabrics. One year after the launch of the brand, she won the title of the Most Promising Creative of West Canada.
Olga Tigirlas is a brand of women’s clothing of which 98% of the production is created from recycled clothing. Fabrics which are used in production are provided by thrift-stores and stores that have closed down.
Noir bonbon Apparel INC. was founded in 2008 in Vancouver by the designer Kim Sanieyan. This brand is created for people who cares about nature.
Don’t miss the next event in April!
Swap party Thursday 26th April from 6-8pm. If you would like to swap your clothes, without spending any money, please join us! You may find some amazing vintage pieces!
Three possibilities to RSVP :
- 514-626-6929
- http://ethik-bgc.ca/2012/?page_id=348
The aim of the Swap party is to inform people about responsible consumption. From participating, you can learn about other conferences and workshops that promote ethical fashion. Also, if you have a creative touch, you should definitely stop by!
Look forward to seeing you there!
25 . 04 . 2012
And here are the winners! Winnipeg raffle winners
Our charming volunteer Adeline at the raffle table!
No. 1 $50 GIFT CARD FROM THE HABERDASHERY — WINNER FOUND!
No. 2 $150 GIFT CARD FROM THE FOXY SHOPPE — 0464202
No. 3 BLACK LEATHER JACKET — 0464277
No. 4 FEATHER NECKLACE, DONATED BY “LOVE NOTES” — 0464355
No. 5 CAMEO NECKLACE BLACK/WHITE — 0464320
No. 6 HANDMADE PISAVENDE SHOES, EUROPEAN SIZE 40 — 0464349
No. 7 RED PIN UP GIRL DRESS — 0464242
Please send an email to Winnipeg Chapter Director PattyAnne: winnipeg@theswapteam.org to claim your prize BEFORE THURSDAY, MAY 10.
Congratulations to all of the winners and a BIG thanks to our sponsors The Haberdashery, The Foxy Shoppe and Love Notes for donating such great prizes!
25 . 04 . 2012
Our Toronto Spring 2012 lookbook is out!
Back in early April, we spent a weekend in Toronto’s Distillery District mixing it up with models, bloggers, DJs, local fashion designers and then some. The result? Our first-ever Take Off Your Clothes lookbook to show you some of the coolest finds up for grabs at our Toronto event on May 11!
Our Toronto lookbook was shot by Christos Tsirbas at Le Labo, to the retro grooves of DJ Pierre Bois (The Vinyl Den). We invited Toronto fashion, beauty and style bloggers to bring their swappables and style their own looks, including some fab new items from some of our apparel sponsors. Throw a couple of professional models in the mix, et voilà!
Starring: Kristy @Monochroma_Chic, Monica @beautyparler, Janice @StyleSisterCA, Oliva @TheCheapGirl, and Justine @EurotrashGirls (at left). Fab-u-lous!
Special thanks to Vim and Ryan for assisting, and to our Creative Director Cat Rizzi for making it happen!
We’ll be slowly releasing the lookbook page by page here on our blog, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest so that you can see what’s in store at the swap.
Can’t wait and want to see everything at once? SIGN UP now for our mailing list and we’ll send you the ENTIRE lookbook!
25 . 04 . 2012
Diary of a Frugalista: DIY Collar
written by Nadya Ershova
Hey, guys, how are you! Feeling good? Spring is all around! It is time to wear high heels, pretty coats and decorate yourself with chic accessories! Speaking of which – what is your favorite one?
This spring my number one accessory is a detachable collar. It is also one of the hottest accessories of the season. You may see it on the pages of the Vogue magazine and around the necks of popular fashion bloggers. Being an outstanding piece on its own, the collar also helps to update an outfit or give it a new twist. But do you need to buy it in a regular store? And pay a pretty penny? Of course not! It is very easy to make one out of an outdated shirt or from a shirt from a thrift store!
I did one myself, and the whole process took me only one evening! It required as little as a blouse, scissors, and a thread with a needle!
First of all I spent some time searching for a proper blouse at Renaissance, my favorite second hand store. I was looking for an item with a laced collar without buttons. Look what I found, a perfect one!
It was easy to cut off the collar along the seam where it was attached to the blouse.
I took scissors with sharp ends and carefully poked the fabric. While cutting I followed the seam.
I also cut off two buttons from the blouse to make a collar fastener.
I attached one button on each end of the collar and sew a button loop.
And that’s it! The fancy lace collar is ready to wear – and it cost me as little as $5! If I bought one at a regular store, it would have cost me at least $35.
A friend of mine got really enthusiastic about DIY collars and made three of them! The first two are really fancy; they are embroidered with pearls which Marina got by taking apart old beads (check the collars out here and here). She also made a third minimalistic collar out of a man’s shirt which she bought at Village Des Valeurs. Marina decided not to decorate it and gave it to me as a present. I wear it with a beige coat.
Marina used the same approach that I described above.
As you can see it is very simple to make this trendy accessory!
The only limit is your imagination!
16 . 04 . 2012
Special rate at Delta Winnipeg to support Kids Help Phone!
If you live in Winnipeg, chances are you’re getting pumped about our 1st Winnipeg edition of Take Off Your Clothes on April 21!
Now there’s even more to get excited about: our major sponsor Delta Winnipeg has generously offered a special room rate of $119 (single-double occupancy) for our friends and fans, with $20/night going back to Kids Help Phone.
To book this special rate, simply call Delta Winnipeg’s reservations line at 1-888-311-4990 and mention The SWAP Team or our Take Off Your Clothes / Kids Help Phone event. Hurry, it’s for this week only leading up to our event!
Help us spread the word and tell all your colleagues, friends and family about this special offer … after all, sharing is good!
The SWAP Team
03 . 04 . 2012
The SWAP Life – The Spring Season
Written by Laura Vizbara
Dear eager swappers,
It’s been awhile! I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch lately. Fortunately, I’ve finished most of my final exams this semester and now have time to write about my four favourite topics: life, people, the Universe, and swapping of course! 
Spring will most likely forever be the season of change, the season to try out new things, or at least think about trying new things, and the season to push yourself to do something awesome and enjoy every minute of it!
Spring, alas, with all its spritely charm, is also the season to perform the mundane chore of cleaning out the closet, putting away winter garbs and taking out cooler vestments from storage. While performing this exercise, we inevitably find items we instantly know we’ll never use or wear again. We’ll be tempted to put into practice the old adage, ‘’Out with the old and in with the new!’’
Spring is there - time to clean out the closets!
Before you go out and buy something new, let The SWAP Team help you out with the ‘’old’’. We want it. All of it. Even if you don’t think we do. We do.
You are warmly invited to each and every one of our upcoming events in Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. This spring, it’s ‘’Out with the old, and in with the swapped!’’
So save all your ‘’outs’’ and stay tuned to our facebook page where we’ll announce the dates when you can start signing up for our spring and summer events.
All you’ll need to do after that is show up and, you guessed it, swap, swap, swap!
Swapfully yours,
Laura
26 . 03 . 2012
Corporate Clothing Recycling Program
Want to increase your company’s positive social and environmental impact? Take part in our Corporate Clothing Recycling Program:
- Open to small and mid-size companies with no more than 75 employees in one location
- Great way to redistribute business clothing to the community (think clothing for job interviews for people just starting out or re-integrating into the workforce)
- Fun for staff to participate — they’ll earn exchange coupons for our upcoming event
Here’s how it works:
- Contact us below to arrange a clothing pick-up date (note: collection date must be at least 2 weeks before our upcoming swap).
- Ask your staff to bring in bags of clean, undamaged clothing in good condition that they no longer want (see our laundering policy here).
- Distribute these printable labels to everyone to fill out and attach to each bag of clothing.
- Remind everyone to buy their ticket to the event — see event details by city in our Happenings section.
- We come pick up the clothing on the agreed date/time.
When your staff arrive at our event, they’ll breeze through our prepaid entrance and head straight to express check-in to pick up their exchange coupons and start swapping. All leftover clothing from our event is donated to our local charity partner. Sharing is good!
Contact us to participate in the program!
Annie Cliche, Montreal: annie@theswapteam.org
Gail Burgin, Toronto: toronto@theswapteam.org
Necole Hines, Calgary: necole@theswapteam.org
Want to do a private clothing swap just for your staff and/or clients?
We can organize one for you!
Email aleece@theswapteam.org for details.
22 . 03 . 2012
Take Off Your Clothes – Winnipeg
LAST CHANCE FOR DROP OFF: Friday, April 20 at Delta Winnipeg Hotel (Victoria/Albert Room) from 4:30pm-7:30pm!
————————————————————————-
What better way to support charities and the environment on Earth Day weekend than by cleaning out your closets and swapping your clothes?
Come to our first-ever Winnipeg event to benefit Kids Help Phone !
Admission: $5 in advance or $7 at the door
Saturday, April 21, 2012
11:00AM – 4:00PM
Delta Winnipeg
350 St. Mary Avenue
(map)
+++Great selection of sizes and styles!
+++Men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, shoes and accessories
+++New item donations from boutiques Haberdashery and The Foxy Shoppe
+++Proceeds will benefit Kids Help Phone
All leftover clothing will be donated to The Salvation Army with monetary proceeds benefitting Kids Help Phone.
Get ready to swap in 4 simple steps:
1. BUY your ticket, save $2 now and skip the line at the door!
>> Buy your advance ticket now on Eventbrite
2. BAG your clothes – download, print and fill out this handy label and attach it to every bag of clean and folded clothing you’d like to swap.
(Want to know what not to swap? Click here for some tips, or see our laundering policy below.)
3. DROP OFF your clothes by APRIL 19 (see depot locations/hours below)
4. COME to the event, pick up your exchange coupons and start swapping!
CLOTHING DROP-OFF LOCATIONS (DEPOTS):
The Foxy Shoppe (map)
87 King St.
hours:
Mon.-Tue. 12pm – 5pm
Wed.-Fri. 11am – 7pm
Sat. 12pm – 6pm
Sun. 12pm – 5pm
Aldo Formal Wear (map) (ask for Ken)
310 Notre Dame Avenue, R3B 1P4
(204) 947-3917
hours:
Tue.-Sat. 10am – 6pm
The Haberdashery (map)
84 Albert Street, R3B 1G2
hours:
Mon.-Sat. 11am – 6pm
We do not accept:
Bathrobes, pyjamas, t-shirts, underwear, lingerie, swimwear, tank tops, socks, leggings or stockings. Likewise, we do not issue exchange tickets for ripped, faded, torn, stained, scratched, dirty, frayed, missing buttons, broken zippers or otherwise worn/damaged items. Items received that fail to meet these standards will be donated to The Salvation Army for recycling.
Laundering policy strictly enforced
As a courtesy to fellow swappers, please wash all clothing items you’d like to swap in hot water and dry on high for a minimum of 20 minutes (or: have them dry cleaned and keep them in the original plastic covering with a knot on the bottom). When the laundering cycles are complete, the clean laundry should be placed in new, clear garbage bags and sealed. We inspect everything that comes in and reserve the right to reject any item or bag of clothing that does NOT appear to comply with our policy.
Clothing donations
Can’t come to the event but want to support our cause with some donated clothing? Download this label, print/fill it out, attach it to each bag of clothing and drop off your clothing at one of our drop off locations.
Questions? Email us: info@theswapteam.org
A HUGE thanks to our partners DELTA WINNIPEG, KIDS HELP PHONE
and THE SALVATION ARMY for making this event possible!
22 . 03 . 2012
Take Off Your Clothes – Ottawa
EXTENDED DROP OFF DEADLINE – PLEASE SEE BELOW!
———————————————————————————————————
Get ready to clean out your closets and swap your clothes for a good cause!
Join us for our 2nd edition of Take Off Your Clothes in Ottawa!
Admission: $10 in advance or $12 at the door (complimentary glass of Barefoot Wine included)
Sunday, May 6, 2012
12:00PM – 5:00PM
Mambo Restaurante Nuevo Latino
77 Clarence Street
(map)
+++Great selection of sizes and styles!
+++Men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, shoes and accessories
+++New item donations from local businesses THANN, Hook Me Up Threads, Wynne Jacobson, and others
+++Music entertainment by Dj Eric Latulippe
+++A fashion show of recyclable wear styled by student designers from Lisgar and Glebe Collegiates
+++Complimentary glass of wine to every swapper by Barefoot Wine
All leftover clothing will be donated to our charity partner Goodwill.
Get ready to swap in 4 simple steps:
1. BUY your ticket, save $2 now and skip the line at the door!
>> Buy your advance ticket now on Eventbrite
2. BAG your clothes – download, print and fill out this handy label and attach it to every bag of clean and folded clothing you’d like to swap.
(Want to know what not to swap? Click here for some tips, or see our laundering policy below.)
3. DROP OFF your clothes BY APRIL 29 (see depot locations/hours below)
4. COME to the event, pick up your exchange coupons and start swapping!
NEW CLOTHING DROP-OFF LOCATION (DEPOT) UNTIL MAY 5:
Kinki (Asian Fusion Sushi Restaurant) — (map)
41 York Street
Wed (May 2) – Sat (May 5) 2PM-5PM
ask for Jana Shaw!
We do not accept:
Bathrobes, pyjamas, t-shirts, underwear, lingerie, swimwear, tank tops, socks, leggings or stockings. Likewise, we do not issue exchange tickets for ripped, faded, torn, stained, scratched, dirty, frayed, missing buttons, broken zippers or otherwise worn/damaged items. Items received that fail to meet these standards will be donated to The Salvation Army for recycling.
Laundering policy strictly enforced
As a courtesy to fellow swappers, please wash all clothing items you’d like to swap in hot water and dry on high for a minimum of 20 minutes (or: have them dry cleaned and keep them in the original plastic covering with a knot on the bottom). When the laundering cycles are complete, the clean laundry should be placed in new, clear garbage bags and sealed. We inspect everything that comes in and reserve the right to reject any item or bag of clothing that does NOT appear to comply with our policy.
Clothing donations
Can’t come to the event but want to support our cause with some donated clothing? Download this label, print/fill it out, attach it to each bag of clothing and drop off your clothing at one of our drop off locations.
Questions? Email us: info@theswapteam.org
A HUGE thanks to our partners GOODWILL, MAMBO RESTAURANTE NUEVO LATINO and BAREFOOT WINE & BUBBLY for making this event possible!
21 . 03 . 2012
Take Off Your Clothes – Toronto
Missed the drop off deadline? BRING YOUR CLOTHES to the swap!
————————————————————————————————————-
Join us for our 3rd edition of Take Off Your Clothes in Toronto!
Admission: $10 in advance or $12 at the door (complimentary glass of Barefoot Wine or Bubbly included)
Friday, May 11, 2012
6:00PM – 9:00PM
Enoch Turner Schoolhouse (Distillery District)
106 Trinity Street (map)
Get ready to swap in 4 simple steps:
1. BUY your ticket, save $2 now and skip the line at the door!
>>Buy your advance ticket now on Eventbrite
2. BAG your clothes — download, print and fill out our handy label and attach it to every bag of clean and folded clothing you’d like to swap. (Want to know what not to swap? Click here for some tips, or see our laundering policy below.)
3. DROP OFF your clothes (see depot location/hours below)
4. COME to the event, pick up your exchange coupons and start swapping!
CLOTHING DROP-OFF LOCATIONS:
Queen West Storage
21 Ossington Avenue
416-535-1085 (please call if you are lost or cannot get in; their staff are very helpful!)
May 9: 4pm – 6pm
Enoch Turner School
106 Trinity Street
May 11: 12pm – 5pm (during setup before the event opens)
More event details:
+++Great selection of sizes and styles!
+++Men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, shoes and accessories
+++NEW item donations from local businesses
+++Music entertainment by DJ Barbi
+++Free style advice from stylists Janice Johnson and Domingo Lumanog
+++Complimentary glass of wine to every swapper by Barefoot Wine
All leftover clothing will be donated to Goodwill.
We do not accept:
Bathrobes, pyjamas, t-shirts, underwear, lingerie, swimwear, tank tops, socks, leggings or stockings. Likewise, we do not issue exchange tickets for ripped, faded, torn, stained, scratched, dirty, frayed, missing buttons, broken zippers or otherwise worn/damaged items. Items received that fail to meet these standards will be donated to Goodwill for recycling.
Laundering policy strictly enforced
As a courtesy to fellow swappers, please wash all clothing items you’d like to swap in hot water and dry on high for a minimum of 20 minutes (or: have them dry cleaned and keep them in the original plastic covering with a knot on the bottom). When the laundering cycles are complete, the clean laundry should be placed in new, clear garbage bags and sealed. We inspect everything that comes in and reserve the right to reject any item or bag of clothing that does NOT appear to comply with our policy.
Clothing donations
Can’t come to the event but want to support our cause with some donated clothing? Download our label, print/fill it out, attach it to each bag of clothing and drop off your clothing at our drop off location.
Questions? Email us: info@theswapteam.org
A HUGE thanks to our partners GOODWILL and BAREFOOT WINE & BUBBLY for making this event possible.
