Can you recall how often you put on a shirt before throwing it away?

If you are clueless or just guilty of silence about it, you are not alone. Most of us keep buying new clothes instead of repeatedly wearing them until they are worn and torn.

According to the statistics by the National Environment Agency, in the year 2021, households in Singapore generated a 38 per cent increase in textile and leather waste from 137,000 to 189,000 tonnes compared to the year 2020, of which only 4 per cent was recycled.

With fast fashion continuing to hit the mainstream scene, the rise of wastage in clothes continues.

Together with the two fashion initiatives, Cloop and fumbles & jumbles, another round of the family edition fashion swap to combat such wastage comes back with a mission.

As part of the sustainability-themed weekend market called Zero Market (every first and third weekends), the long-awaited fashion swap family edition event was held from Sep 3 to 4 at Tzu Chi Humanistic Youth Centre (HYC).

Zero Market was launched in January 2022 after much delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Living up to its name, the event focuses on the sustainability theme by going zero meat, zero plastic and zero waste. This is to help with reducing carbon emissions and conserving natural resources.

This rendition of the fashion swap was held during the September holiday with the intention to attract more families to attend the event.

Other than clothing for female and male adults, there was an area dedicated to an extensive collection of kids’ clothing.

As kids tend to outgrow their clothes quickly, swapping clothes is more sustainable and economical than having to keep buying new clothes for them as they continue to grow.

Attendees were encouraged to bring in a minimum of five pre-loved clothing and swap them for anything that catches their eye. Thus, the term “Fashion-Swap.”

Ms Tricia Tay, a 27-year-old mother who found out about the fashion swap through Instagram, has been looking forward to attending the event.

Ms Tay said: “It really allowed me to see the businesses in person apart from just being on Instagram, and also to speak to the owners and find more information regarding sustainable fashion.”

Making use of the “Open-Wardrobe” concept, where visitors pay with integrity for the clothing with a minimum price stated through PayNow or QR code. They can also choose to give more to show greater support for these initiatives.

When asked about the reason behind the initiative of Zero Market, Mr Hsu Che Wei, a Tzu Chi HYC representative said: “Living sustainably is really everybody’s effort. Inviting all groups of people, especially families to discover and learn more about sustainable living while also having fun.”

“They might think that it’s just a shirt that mommy and daddy bought for me,” said Ms Elyse Low Ying Tze, 35, the co-founder of fumbles & jumbles. “However, eventually, they might also learn to value the things they have.”

Through this fashion swap event, parents can educate children on the value of no matter how small your action, it really does make a difference.

As part of the profit goes onto a child sponsorship programme under Compassion International, whereby, a sum of money is donated to fund a child’s basic necessities such as food, education, and medical care every month. Furthermore, it provides them opportunities to attend enrichment classes and receive a birthday gift of their choice.

“It is like a small life lesson, but it really goes into their (the children’s) mind,” Ms Low emphasised that adults should plant a seed with the hope they are more aware of the great impact they are making via fashion swap.

By frequently exposing them to more similar kinds of events, children will learn that the use of clothes is much longer, and they can wear them repeatedly by taking proper care.

Cloop, which handles adult fashion for both men and women, was also present at the fashion swap. This circular fashion initiative was co-founded by Ms Yin Ling Tan and Ms Jasmine Tuan, both left their industries in finance and marketing communications to focus on this initiative full-time.

Ms Jasmine Tuan said that it is important to “wear your values” as many people know the detrimental effects of fast fashion but chose to turn a blind eye, due to not wanting to give up the luxury of fast fashion of being affordable and easy to find.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the fashion industry produces about 8 percent of global carbon emissions and 20 percent of global wastewater.

The unsustainable practices in the industry result in negative environmental effects such as the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

“What we are trying to do is close the fast fashion loop because we want to circulate good items that are reusable. That’s the best form of recycling,” said Ms Jasmine Tuan.

Through this circular fashion initiative, Cloop hopes to promote awareness through small steps in showcasing a sustainable and ethical alternative to fast fashion.

Zero Market happens on the first and third weekends of every month. Those who are interested in the event can go onto Zero Market’s social media page to find out more! The organiser will update the latest happenings on Zero Market’s social media platform that you should not miss!

This piece was produced as part of the Diploma in Mass Communication of the Republic Polytechnic in collaboration with the Tzu Chi Humanistic Youth Centre.

Writer: Ng Miao Qin Megan & Muhammad Fathullah b Muhammad Sharil
Photographer: Daniel Bryan Baylon Macapinlac; Subha Lakshmi D/O Nilavazhagan & Han Xinyi