“We were tasked to find a problem and create a solution,” Madeline Kizer said.
Inside the swap shop is UConn marketing major Madeline Kizer’s solution to sustainable fashion.
“I’m trying to get more students to shop more sustainably, really think about the little things that they can do to help the environment because all the little things add up to the big thing,” Kizer said.
The mission between the racks at the shop is to help break the cycle of what Kizer calls “fast-fashion.”
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“I think society as a whole has really moved away from repairing things, always constantly thinking about just throwing it away,” Kizer said.
Kizer said students will become more environmentally conscience as a byproduct.
“Unfortunately a lot of the clothes are made out of plastic synthetic materials so it takes a long time for them to degrade,” Kizer sad.
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Anyone with a UConn ID, students or faculty can shop at the swap shop by bringing in an item they no longer wear. Each item gets a credit based on its quality and brand name and then shoppers can walk away with a new item.
“I think a huge thing about clothing and style is really about the confidence that the clothes bring you,” Kizer said.
Kizer said she also plans to hold sewing workshops to help students learn to mend their clothing instead of getting rid of it.
The shop is breaking a pattern, one she hopes makes a sustainable-minded student body.
