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Rethreads: A Free Mass Clothing Exchange

The perfect event for the style and sustainability savvy

Presented by Oxfam Australia and CarriageWorks

Clothing is your currency at Rethreads – bring your best cast-offs to CarriageWorks on Saturday 31 July 2010, and exchange them for new pieces to reinvigorate your wardrobe for FREE!

There is no entry fee, and you can take part in this community event for free.  No money changes hands... if you bring 20 pieces, you can swap for 20 pieces.

Rethreads is the ultimate shopping experience for bargain-hunters, the style-savvy, and the sustainability-conscious. It’s an extravaganza of pre-loved fashion, fused with good music.

Once you've swapped, cruise the intoxicating range of other stalls and chill out in the bar and café at Winterland, CarriageWorks’ cool winter festival.

Please note there is a limit of 20 items of clothing. This is to ensure quality is upheld and queues do not hinder the day.

WHO CAN SWAP
Guys, girls and children of all shapes, sizes and styles.
Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times!

WHAT TO SWAP
All well-kept wearable pieces and accessories that are ready for a new life are welcome. From designer wear to cool t-shirts to good quality basic garments from local high street stores. Keep in mind that quality is key to making Rethreads a success for everyone.

These guidelines will assist you choose items from your wardrobe that will become a new treasure for someone else.

• You can swap up to 20 items of clothing, including accessories (hats, scarves, belts) and shoes in good condition
• Items likely to be valued by others
• Free of faults or with minor faults that are easy to repair (e.g. a missing button is ok, but not dirty great tear)
• No longer your favourites, you must be emotionally detached!
• We cannot swap garments that are straying too far from perfect or are incomplete. Cothes can't be missing a sleeve or have big stains on them.
• Items for women, men and children
• Garments clean and folded or pressed
• Garments not pilled, stained or pongy
• We can’t exchange undergarments, swimwear, tracksuits or anything polar-fleece!

HOW THE SWAP WILL WORK

• You can swap up to 20 items of clothing, including hats, scarves, belts and shoes in good condition.
• You will receive a pass that will show how many items you are able to 'buy' for what you have swapped.
• Once you are checked in and have been issued your pass, you will then be able to enter and browse the Rethreads marketplace and start shopping!

CHECKING IN AND PRIORITY SWAPPING

• The check-in point is where your clothes are screened for quality, and added to the Rethreads marketplace. This is where you will be given your pass. Staff will direct you to the separate check in points for books and music on the day.
• You can check-in on the day. The check-in process for clothes will take up to 30 minutes, in which time you can enjoy the live music, browse the other stalls and grab a bite to eat or drink from the bar.
• You can skip the 30 minute on-the-day check-in process and begin swapping 45 minutes early, just by dropping your stuff off in the week before the event. See below for pre-event drop off times.
• All items will be screened for quality. See above for quality guidelines.

PRE-EVENT DROP OFF TIMES
If you drop off your exchange clothes  in the pre-event drop off times, during the week prior to Rethreads, you will be given a pass that allows you to enter to start swapping 45 minutes before the doors officially open on the day. Bonus! Mon 26 July – Thurs 29 July between 12.30 – 1.30pm and Fri 30 July between 9am – 5pm.

TRANSPORT AND GETTING HERE
With big events like Rethreads, it’s always best to assess your transport options in advance. We have a few transport tips for environmentally friendly, efficient travel. It’s easy to get to CarriageWorks by train, bus or bike. We highly recommend that you take advantage of the easily accessible public transport. After all, Rethreads is a sustainable event, so why not travel green too? Click here for more info on how to get here.

SWAP ETIQUETTE

• Always be courteous and polite to fellow swappers!
• Don’t rush! Take your time, and chat to swappers around you.
• Only carry and try on 5 items at one time.
• Return unwanted items to the area where you found them, or to a staff member.
• If 2 or more swappers want the same item, speak to a member of staff, and we will flip a coin.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF EXCHANGE EVENTS

• Recycling takes items you have finished with and puts them back into circulation.
• By passing your clothes, accessories or equipment on to others, you are diverting materials from landfill thus conserving resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Reusing a product, rather than buying a new one, reduces the demands for water, energy and raw materials. This reduces the impact on the environment.
• Swapping 1 suitcase (20kg) of clothes saves enough energy to run a TV non-stop for 1.7 years.
• Swapping clothing diverts these organic materials from landfill. In landfill they produce methane, a greenhouse gas with the global warming capacity 20 times stronger than CO2.
• Statistics courtesy of Planet Ark. For more info see www.planetark.org.