Been debating whether or not to declutter your wardrobe? The Rescue Project, an initiative started by Swapaholic is now giving you the chance to declutter your wardrobe and donate to a good cause! From now till 4 April 2021, drop off your bagful of pre-loved items at 313@Somerset. They will do a quick quality check of the clothes, and you can get back the rejected clothes just as fast.
If you simply wish to give pre-loved clothes a new home, fret not. There will be a Refresh event, which is the second stage of The Rescue Project which will be taking place on 17 and 18 April 2021. Be sure to book your slots on their website and pay a small fee of $15 to attend.
For $15, you have 1.5 hours to sift through thousands of pre-loved items and rescue a bagful of at least 25 to 30 clothes. Whether you wish to rewear, repair, or repurpose these pre-loved, one-of-a-kind gems is up to you. Just be glad you have rescued gently-loved items from reaching the Semakau landfill. The mindset that they wish to achieve is extremely important for preserving existing resources and mitigating the detrimental effects of the fast fashion industry. Remember to shop sustainably, everyone!
Now, you may be wondering why Swapaholic started The Rescue Project in the first place. Swapaholic was founded to provide a convenient solution for fashionistas to collectively slow down the fashion industry, aiming for sustainable fashion instead of fast fashion. They wish to empower consumers to exercise a mindful fashion choice, without having to compromise their styles, wallets, and the planet.
Swapaholic is constantly on the move to innovate, asking themselves if there are any ways to make it more seamless for customers to adopt swapping as a lifestyle choice. Besides The Rescue Project, Swapaholic provides pick-up services, conducts remote quality checks, and makes it simple for customers to track their Points, impact, and value.
That’s right! Even though you are taking pre-loved items home, their quality checks are very stringent. Secondhand clothes do not mean second best, and only quality pieces are accepted into their shop. The idea that they want to bring across is that they provide a no-compromise solution, despite selling affordable pre-loved clothes.
Today, Swapaholic conducts Swap Parties, runs a Swap Shop, along with an Online Swapping Platform. They also hold swapping events such as The Rescue Project. Instead of ‘shopping’, they give their customers an outlet where they are encouraged to adopt a more mindful lifestyle in the means of ‘swapping’ clothes instead.
Swapaholic donates to a variety of charities based on requests that come in, including student groups, upcycle artists, cat shelters looking to make upcycled cat toys, domestic worker charities, and charities that support underprivileged women. For The Rescue Project, their official charity partner is Soles4Souls.
Soles4Souls will be accepting and shipping off all leftover items from The Rescue Project to deserving beneficiaries in Singapore and across Asia. They aim to turn unwanted shoes and clothing into opportunities, keeping them from going to waste. This way, they can provide relief, create jobs, and empower people to break the poverty cycle.
If you think Swapaholic’s The Rescue Project is a one-off thing, think again. At Swapaholic, they believe in rapid prototyping and testing. The Rescue Project is merely a pilot prototype to test out the waters. If it is successful, they have hopes to repeat it yearly. They also have upcoming projects such as building a peer-to-peer swapping marketplace that they are planning to launch later this year, catering to requests from their more advanced pre-loved buyers and sellers who prefer to control the swapping process by themselves.
So why not save the planet and participate in The Rescue Project today? Head down to 313@Somerset to declutter and shop sustainably during the month of April. Attend with a creative mindset that encourages you and your friends to pick out pieces not only to rewear, but also to repair and repurpose!
Book your slots and head to their website for more information.
Address: 04-07 Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238896
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 11am–10pm
Wednesday & Sunday 11am–7pm
