On October 16th, I’ll be attending an event called Take Off Your Clothes, which is a giant clothing swap for women. Here’s the idea: before the event, people take stylish but unwanted items to drop-off locations, and exchange them for coupons. They’ll use those coupons to “purchase” new items in a swappers market.

And here’s why I like the concept:

The experience of swapping reminds us that there are alternatives ways of consuming, and that purchasing new items may not always be necessary.

The clothing left over at the end of the swap will be sent to charity stores, to have its lifetime extended a little further.

Local designers use the swap as an opportunity to showcase their creations - and thriving local economies keep cities vibrant and interesting.

Visit the facebook event page!