Do you have a piece of clothing that you haven't worn for ages but you can't get rid of it? Wouldn't it be nice to make other people happy with it and help to reduce todays useless consumption? Look no further! Read the following article for more information.
Our idea
We want to revolutionize the process of clothes sharing. We thought that instead of giving your clothes to a secondhand store, you could put them online on a special website. On this website people can post their clothes and others can borrow them for a special occasion. So for example if you want a dress for a party, but you don't have the means to buy a new one, maybe on the website you spot a dress you really like. The website would have filters where you can filter the color, size, material, brand and lenghts of the clothes. After the event you can easily return the clothes to the owner. This way the clothes can be shared multiple times, won't rot in the closet and can bring joy to new people.
What would it change?
With this process we could save materials like cotton, silk, polyester, wool and many more. Also, we could help to reduce childs work in third world countries. If every second person used this system, the children would have to work way less and could actually have a childhood. In addition, you can save money and you don't have to waste your time going shopping.
Possible struggles and how we can deal with them
Making this system work won't be easy. It requires trust, reliability, honesty and common sense among the lenders and the borrowers. To make sure these qualities are fulfilled, you can giva a one to five-star rating to the users. This way you can make sure that you won't lend your stuff to the wrong people. To make this system work, we need an IT-team to help us create a website. Another problem is how we can deliver the clothes as fast and eco-friendly as possible. We still try to figure out the best way to manage the deliveries. If you have an idea, please don’t hesitate to contact us or write a comment.
Can we count on you?
We need YOUR help to make this vision come to life! Without you, the users, the website would remain an empty shell. We are planning to launch the website www.dontwastemyclothes.ch on July 1st.
If you believe in this system and want to see it happen, please spread the word and tell your friends. Use the hashtag #dontwastemyclothes on social media and follow us for updates and sneak peaks.
By Anna Meier and Seraina Wernli