VISWAP

Every year, during the Fashion Revolution Week clothes swap events are organized to make people physically meet and exchange clothes. Due to the corona virus, these events cannot be anymore organized physically, therefore the community needs new forms of digital-based activities to continue these sustainable fashion activities. So, how can a physical exchange be done virtually? Can we exchange not only clothes but also our knowledge and skills to take care of our clothes through a virtual platform?

The solution you bring to the table:

Viswap is a digital platform offering virtual workshops in which participants can repair their old or defected clothes while exchanging knowledge to make tools for mending and improving garments. There are four main workshops:

Workshop 01: Story exchange: In a virtual workshop, each participant brings a garment and shares its story with other participants. Based on the stories, participants choose a garment to make a swap and start ideating a solution to improve it with the owner of the garment. Some tools are presented by the workshop conductors and the participants are asked to make their own tools at home for the next workshop.

Workshop 02: Tool exchange: In the second workshop, each participant introduces their self-made tools or existing tools they have at home. Each participant explains how they made the tool. These tools are posted in Instagram and archived in the website.

Workshop 03: Skill exchange: A collective making activity is done by using the self-made tools, while the workshop conductors explain mending techniques to apply. Participants also share their own knowledge about different techniques and every participant applies these techniques on their garments.

------ in between: each participant applies the changes on the garment. Besides, embeds a secret message or sign/pattern on the garment for its new owner and sends it via post. ------

Workshop 04: Reflection exchange: After receiving the garments, the participants share the results with others. They make reflections on the experience, answering questions like What did we learn? What did we really exchange in the end? How did we feel when we receive the garment? The Viswap platform on one hand explains the workshop structures, on the other hand hosts a growing archive of home-made and fab-made tools to repair garments and work with textiles. In home-made category there are tools that everyone can construct with daily materials found at home, in fab-made category there are more advanced tools that can be 3D printed or laser cut in fablabs. The workshops will also help us to expand the archive by the contribution of the participants and in a later stage the home-made tools will be inspiration for new fab-made tools. In this way, an exchange occurs between non-designer and designer.

What you have done during the weekend?

Meeting virtually with other members and co-creating the whole scenario and system based on a common problem, creating the website and the video.

The solution’s impact to the crisis: Viswap is an immediate response to a problem of not having the possibility to conduct clothes swapping activity which fosters sustainable consumption habits. Besides swapping physical clothes, the impact will be creating a collective knowledge to take care of our clothes and learn new skills to be independent in maintaining our clothes.

The necessities in order to continue the project: The social distancing would not allow us to organize such event where many people come together to do making activities since it requires an intimate interaction. Therefore, this platform and the format of the workshops can be useful for makers, crafters who want to come together and share their knowledge and experiences in the longer run.

The value of your solution(s) after the crisis: This project can give rise to an archive of valuable tools that can be constructed by anyone, anywhere to repair and improve their garments even after the crisis.