All agree that clothes are important no matter where we live or shop. As consumers we may enjoy fashion, but we also have a responsibility to think about the imprint our clothes make and how to be sustainable. With this in mind, in early November the Consulate General organised a clothes swop on Shanghai parade avenue the Bund on the theme: Circular Economy - A Re-Dress Clothes Swop.
Taking place in spectacular premises, the event attracted some three hundred fashion-hungry Shanghai residents for an afternoon with panel discussions between well-known Chinese fashion influencers who have an eye for recycling, online participation from Sweden by Jennie Dahlén, author and lecturer passionate about making sustainable fashion simple and inspiring as Slow Fashion and who wrote the eponymous book Slow Fashion - a Guide to Smart and Sustainable Fashion, as well as a pop-up clothes swop shop that quickly produced lines of people waiting on the sidewalk. Consul-General Marie-Claire Swärd Capra gave an opening speech about the thriving recycling sector for clothes in Sweden and how we should remember that garments used only a handful of times are actually made to last for several hundred uses. The Swedish Institute's exhibition Re: Waste was also on site for those who wanted to know more.
A colorful and inspiring day in the spirit of sustainability that brought appetite for more and showed that there is great interest in new consumption patterns among the fashion-conscious Shanghai.
