0
Skip to Content
AWEAR
Current Page: HOME
CONTACT
AWEAR
Current Page: HOME
CONTACT
Current Page: HOME
CONTACT
WHO ARE WE

WHO ARE WE

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

SWAP SEASON

SWAP SEASON

THE JOURNEY OF STAYING AWEAR.

 
THIS SUNDAY (27th) QUEENSTOWN; swap till ya drop from 6 o’clock at St Peter’s Anglican Church Hall - 2 Church Street 9300. 
⁣
We are blown away by the amount of donations so far and those of you who have already dropped your garments are truly in for a treat! 
⁣
From denim, to the dress of your dreams there is something for everyone. 
⁣
Anyone yet to drop or purchase a ticket we will be @exchangecafe one last time from 1pm - 3pm this Sunday - there after its $10 cash on the door; limited tokens and tickets are available.
⁣
TAG YOUR SWAP SISTER IF YOU’RE COMING DOWN SUNDAY! 
⁣
#swappingisthenewshopping
Here’s a reminder that just because somethings cheap doesn’t mean you should buy it; in fact more often than not you shouldn’t.
⁣
Low cost clothing is produced, sold and disregarded in mass quantities which has serious consequences for the environment and those paid next to nothing to make them! 
⁣
It just isn’t enough to look for quality in the products we buy; we must ensure quality in the lives of the people who make them.
⁣
So we ask you again; why shop when you can swap? 
⁣
#swappingisthenewshopping
There is that old saying: “fashion fades, style is eternal.”
⁣
Literally speaking that may no longer be true, especially when it comes to fast fashion. In the fast fashion world clothing is not made to last (and it doesn’t), but as part of a particularly consumptive era; they might become an important part of the fossil record. 
⁣
More than 60% of fabric fibres are now synthetics, derived from FOSSIL FUELS, so if and sadly when our clothing ends up in landfill it will not decay. 
⁣
At Awear we are all about 100% landfill avoidance and are always open for a chat regarding what we should do will all our stuff. 
⁣
The negative impact of fast fashion on our planet and our people is exceptional... why shop when you can swap. 
⁣
#stayingawear #swappingisthenewshopping
100 BILLION items of clothing are produced every year and 20% goes unsold. 
Leftovers are usually buried, shredded or incinerated. 
⁣
WE HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF. 
⁣
Why shop when you can swap? 
⁣
Most of the items donated so far have tags on, because we’re all guilty of consuming, fashion is one of the top polluters of our planet and enough is enough. 
⁣
What would it take to stop you from buying new? 
⁣
#swappingisthenewshopping
#secondhandseptember
New Zealand alone throws away 100 million kilos of textile waste into rubbish dumps - annually.
⁣
Landfill avoidance is a top priority for us here at Awear and we are sure you, our fellow swappers, feel the same! 
⁣
It is for this reason we are so excited to offer a number of tokens for cash purchase at our event on September 27th. 
⁣
How it works:
- All items dropped to us ready to swap will also be given a value in tokens
- A limited number of these tokens can be purchased for cash on the door
- Using your tokens you can then shop at the event the same as those who have already donated pre-loved items 
⁣
We highly recommend sorting through your wardrobes and swapping some items (it’s good for the soul and the wallet). 
These limited number of tokens for cash purchase will be available on the day to people who have purchased a ticket ahead of the event on Sunday 27th September.
⁣
Message us for tickets and more details regarding tokens, or come see us at @exchangecafe every Sunday from 1pm leading up to the event!
⁣
See you at the swap! 
⁣
#swappingisthenewshopping
CONFIRMED! 
⁣
Queenstown. 
We are so excited...
⁣
See you soon for our swap shop - the smartest way to ‘shop’.
⁣
Be sure to share this post, like us on Facebook and tag your swap soul mate for a chance to win free tickets to the event for you and friend. 
⁣
#awear #swappingisthenewshopping
CONFIRMED! 
⁣
After level changes and Covid rearing it’s ugly head again, we are so happy to eventually be bringing you our first swap shop event; Sunday September 27th at St Peter’s Hall in Queenstown 6pm.
⁣
Those of you who have already purchased tickets they are still valid and those who have already donated clothes will be receiving tokens via email this week. 
⁣
Those of you ready to get involved we’ll see you @exchangecafe tomorrow and every Sunday including the 27th 1-5pm. 
⁣
Thank you to everyone involved so far and we can’t wait to see the rest of you soon. 
⁣
Will we see you there? 
⁣
#swappingisthenewshopping
⁣
It is with a heavy heart we announce our event delay. We as a team have decided it is important we can ALL be together to swap, share and shimmy and not have to do so distanced and with limited numbers.

Any and all tickets already purchased are valid for the main event (please contact us via DM or any other platform should you have any questions).

We will be back @exchangecafe Sunday August 30th for Sunday swaps and will be sharing full details of the main event soon.

Your response has been amazing. For any textile hoarders or big shoppers out there, be sure to make some room and get ready to use those clothes as currency.

#swappingisthenewshopping
QUEENSTOWN:
⁣
Sadly due to the nature of our swaps it is not possible to do so tomorrow; if you would like to drop us a message via any of our social media platforms we’d be happy to organise a pick up of any of your unwanted items (free of charge).
⁣
PLEASE GET IN TOUCH IF YOU WERE PLANNING ON COMING DOWN TOMORROW. 
⁣
Safety first, always! 
⁣
admin@awear.co.nz to contact us via email. 
⁣
#swappingisthenewshopping
⁣
We will still be at @exchangecafe this coming Sunday, sanitising and swapping as per.
⁣
Come down between 1pm-4pm for clothes and coffee.
⁣
Clean clothes only, always important (obviously) but imperative this weekend onwards until we have more information from our heroic, powerhouse, leading lady Jacinda. 
⁣
Exciting things are coming so watch this space...
⁣
We love hearing from you and are ALWAYS here to answer any questions.
⁣
Stay safe and sanitised sisters! #swappingisthenewshopping
The damage done is not over once clothing reaches landfill.
⁣
For every kilo of textiles that is landfilled, 3.6 kilos of greenhouse gases are created.
⁣
A record number of textiles are hitting landfills – clothes are cheaper than ever before and textiles sent to Wellington’s southern landfill has doubled since 2009, not to mention it is estimated more than 25% of it was perfectly fine and could have been recycled reused or diverted. 
⁣
100% landfill avoidance is one of our core values here at Awear and we hope with our Season of Swap upon us we can help you use your clothes as currency whilst they avoid landfill. 
⁣
So don’t forget to come down to @exchangecafe this Sunday or next to drop your unwanted garments, grab your tokens and purchase tickets for the MAIN EVENT – THE SWAP SHOP.
⁣⁣
Money raised from the event will be donated in support of people and places negatively effected by the reality of fast fashion

Look forward to seeing you all soon. 

#swappingisthenewshopping
We are so excited to be stepping into our ‘season of swap’ this August as we plan Awear’s debut swap-shop event, taking place on Sunday 29th in Queenstown!

Come and visit us at the @exchangecafe on Ballarat Street from 1-5pm on Sunday 2nd, 9th and 16th August to donate your unwanted clothing or swap and receive tokens in exchange to use as currency at the main event!

With 93% of surveyed brands underpaying their garment workers (fashion checker 2020), our swap-shop event will raise funds for the #PayUp campaign; supporting garment workers in the fast fashion arena.

For more information, head over to our website & Facebook page (link in bio). We can’t wait to see you soon!

Awear: where your clothes are currency

Graphic by @housofhalcyon
Do you know where your clothes come from?

The apparel industry is one of the biggest violators of both human and environmental rights.

We are increasingly disconnected from the people who make our clothing as 97% of items are now made overseas.
There are roughly 40 million garment workers, many of whom do not share the same rights and protections as that of many in the West.

When you see an image like this one, what does it make you think about? Do you understand the true reality of retail? 

Demand quality, not only in the products you buy, but in the lives of the people who make them.

Shopping second hand is the number one most ethical and sustainable way to ‘shop’ and even better, why shop when you can swap? 

Our aim at Awear is to better the lives of those directly affected by the devastating reality of fast fashion; from ruined waterways to a lack of basic human rights.

With our first month of events coming to Queenstown this August we urge you to head over to our website and subscribe for more details on our mission and join the movement.
Just a little reminder from us to you: the fashion industry is responsible for around 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions, 20% of all waste waters, and consumes more energy than both the airline and shipping industries combined. 

Respect your Mother (Earth) and swap don't shop.

Click the link in our bio to join the circular fashion movement >>
Hi everyone! We know we’ve been inactive lately but we’ve been working in the background and leaving social media to those who need the platform most right now.

We are working really hard to fight the good fight and end inequality within the fashion industry and beyond - so we thought we’d share our learnings with you.

We learned some new terminology from one of our sustainability sisters and it is this:

Intersectional Environmentalism -
“This is an inclusive version of environmentalism that advocates for both the protection of people and the planet. It identifies in the ways in which injustices happening to marginalized communities and the earth are interconnected. It brings injustices to the most vulnerable communities and the earth to the forefront and does not minimize or silence social inequality. Intersectional environmentalism advocates for justice for the people and the planet. “

As advocates for this, we cannot exploit women in one country and empower them in another! At Awear we will donate to those directly effected by fast fashion and continue to protect our planet and it’s people.

To take the pledge and for more information please follow @greengurlleah and @intersectionalenvironmentalist to stay informed and educated.
It just isn’t enough to look for quality in the products we buy; we must ensure quality in the lives of the people who make them.

Colonial mentalities and practises are still present in how businesses operate today - sadly, brands have continued to benefit from child labour for decades.

Trade routes from 150 years ago also still exist, indicating that colonialism is not a thing of the past. Most of the fashion industries ‘Western’ brands moved their production to poorer countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America where human rights and labour laws are difficult to enforce or even non-existent, so they can profit from the low cost labour.

80% female, the factory workers are exploited by the industry, which demands long hours in poor, unsafe conditions where they are often exposed to sexual abuse, harassment, violence and occasional deaths.

1,134 people died in the factory collapse pictured above: Savar Upazila of the Dharka District of Bangladesh.

Fashion brands are currently throwing out beautiful words about equality, but whilst abandoning their underpaid garment workers.

Community is at the forefront of our movement here at Awear, as we strive to fight the good fight for those directly affected by fast fashion. 📸 sourced from bbc.com
What do you see when you see a beautiful image like this one? The aesthetic? The fabric? The colours and textures?

What about the production? Many of us are naïve to the reality that most fashion production is a form of modern slavery.

The global slavery index estimates 40 million people are living in slavery today, many of whom are garment workers in supply chains for western clothing brands. The ‘behind the scenes’ in factories across the globe are devastating - and all so that WE can have cheap clothing hanging in our wardrobes.

Clothes shouldn’t cost lives and it shouldn’t cost our planet either.

So what does accountability mean to you? 
When shopping, we ask that you look to yourself to research the true cost of convenience. 
Don’t filter the bigger picture to fit your landscape #conciousconsuming
Garment manufacturing accounts for 20% of global industrial water pollution, with textile dying ranking second in the world (after oil & fossil fuels) for its damaging contribution.

Our money makes the world go round - the fashion world especially - and by disrupting the status quo, WE have the power to change things.

Remember that your money is your vote. When we buy more sustainably, we shift the market, creating new spending patterns that will urge the industry to rethink the system and change it for the greater good!

In a world where we have an abundance of stuff going into landfill and our oceans everyday, why spend money on fast fashion?

Swapping is the most sustainable and savings-motivated way to update your wardrobe.

If you stopped shopping new, how much could you save and where else do you feel it’d be better spent?
Fill our social media feeds with the BLACK LIVES MATTER campaign 💪🏼💪🏽💪🏾💪🏿for the voices that NEED to be heard!!! ———————————————————————————
Also please don’t use the BLACK LIVES MATTER hashtag if you’re muting your page! It’s covering up the news and the updates! 
#justiceforgeorgefloyd
According to McKinsey (2016) the amount of clothing produced annually equates to 14 items per person on earth, each year.

That figure is staggering!

We wonder, what percentage of your wardrobe goes unworn?
How often do you purchase new garments?
Why not save money AND our planet by swapping instead of shopping.

Do you have plenty of lovely clothes piled up or hidden in the back of your wardrobe that you know you’ll never wear again?

Because we want to swap them with you!

As always, we are openly taking donations, so please join our swap shop over on Facebook where you can extend your wardrobe at no extra cost. Simply upload your unwanted threads and swap them for something else that you love! 
Let’s keep our garments circulating. Subscribe to our website to keep the movement growing!

Awear; use your clothes as currency. Link in bio >

instagram @stayingawear