Rewear Revolution FAQs

Why are there two parts to Rewear Revolution?

We wanted to have our usual clothes swap, but we also want to raise funds for our charity and partners… and have a bit of fun, too! Our clothes swap is a brilliant way for people to get rid of clothes they no longer wear and get hold of some new ones, without spending much money.

It does take a lot of time and energy, however, which means SVP actually ends up losing out.

By having a free swap during the day and a ticketed event in the evening, we’re still offering people the chance to get new outfits for nothing, and we’re also doing some fundraising to cover our costs and hopefully make a bit of extra for projects and for our fellow charities, too.

It’s all part of Sustainable Fashion Week, which shines a light on the environmental and ethical cost of our textiles trade.

Who are SVP teaming up with for Rewear Revolution?

We’re teaming up with The Door Shop, who are bringing along a selection of secondhand clothes and accessories; Transition Stroud (TS) Textiles Group, who are putting together one of their fabulous Trashion Shows and helping with stalls and workshop; Creative Sustainability, who are supporting with organisation and finding brilliant people to join in; and of course the amazing Trinity Rooms Community Hub, who are hosting and helping organise the whole shebang.

How does the clothes swap work?

  1. Make sure your clothes are clean and in good condition; we say this every year, but please do not bring stained, damaged or torn clothes to the swap.

  2. Count how many items you have.

  3. Bring them to Stroud Valleys Project eco shop between Friday 19 and Friday 26 September.

  4. Collect a coupon; we’ll write on it how many items you have swapped.

  5. Bring your ticket to Rewear Revolution, either in the day for free one-for-one swaps, or in the evening for reduced prices on clothes.

Why are you keeping some swapped clothes for the evening event?

To help raise funds, we’ll be sorting through all the clothes and saving some of the best pieces, whether they are desirable labels or occasion-wear, for the evening. We’ll be selling these ‘best of the clothes swap’ items, affordably, instead of swapping.

Hang on – does that mean I can’t swap in the evening?

Kind of…. you can use any swaps on your coupon to get a reduced price on our curated collection of the ‘best of the clothes swap’. The evening is our fundraising event so we’ll be trying to raise as much money as possible for our charities. That said, if you’re experiencing financial hardship and would struggle to pay at all, simply speak to one of the organisers.

Do I have to come to both?

No. You can come to just the daytime clothes swap, which runs from 11am to 3pm and is a drop-in, or just the ticketed evening event, which runs from 6pm until 9pm (ish!)… but we’d love it if you came to both!

Apart from the clothes swap, what else is going on?

There’s loads happening! During the day, we have Nikki from The Fold running a Patch-Making Workshop, for a small charge; Kat Child of Atelier and Katy Bevan of Quickthorn Books hosting Meet Make Mend, where you can find out how to fix clothes; seamstresses Clare, Marianne and Heather showing you how to alter or repair garments (including items you may have just picked up in the clothes swap!) and Christina from In Stitches helping you to make friends with your sewing machine.

The Door Shop will be bringing along a selection of accessories including kids’ stuff, trainers and so on in the day, and more dressy bags and accessories in the evening.

Katy and Christina will be with us again in the evening, when we will also be joined by Noemi from Nimpy Clothing, who creates handcrafted and upcycled cashmere and merino pieces.

The evening will also include a welcome drink for everyone and a licensed bar so you can enjoy a relaxed drink while you browse the rails of curated clothing. Kindly donating tipples are Holy Water and Stroud Brewery.

The highlights of the evening are a Trashion Show, which will feature models sporting upcycled creations by Clare and the TS Textiles Group team, and a panel discussion – we’re calling it a sofa chat – hosted by Katy Bevan and featuring Amelia from Stroud-based fashion house Lily & Me; Alice of print-forward clothiers Humphries and Begg; and Shalize Nicholas of Emergence Restock, a Stroud-based sustainable fashion project.

To set the vibe and add a dash of musical excellence, DJ NYX of Big Sis DJs is going to be spinning some tunes throughout the night.

There’s also a raffle with some fabulous prizes to be won including a meal for two, a pottery course, and a pack of health-giving supplements.

Should I bring cash in the evening?

Yes please! We will have options to pay by card but these will be quite limited, so cash would be appreciated.

What about on Sunday?

Sundays sees the return of the regular Repair Café at the Trinity Rooms, and there’s also the chance to create your own autumnal garland using the traditional art of rag rugging; book here to make a garland.

I’ve got another question that isn’t answered here!
Please email kerri@stroudvalleysproject.org and I will do my best to answer it.