Cumbrian woman tackles fashion waste with clothes swaps

A woman trying to reduce fashion waste has been organising clothes swaps in her hometown for a decade.

Celestina Mahovic, 37, wanted to highlight how swapping clothes or buying them second-hand could help the environment and so started Clothes Swap Cumbria.

The quantity surveyor, from Carlisle, said the events – which see people gather to trade clothes they no longer wear – had created “a sense of community”.

She said: “It’s a little thing I can do to help the environment.”

Clothes Swap Cumbria organises free events across the county.

Some swaps happen in public spaces like community centres, while others happen in people’s homes, and they offer a sustainable and cheap alternative to buying new items.

Mahovic started going to clothes swaps in Manchester and started to learn about the impact of shopping second-hand.

She said: “I started learning about how fast fashion was ruining the environment.

“I started delving into more and released that there are a lot of things we can do and looked into recycling clothes and shopping second-hand.”

In January – when finances can be especially tight – the BBC’s Hacks and Hustles series in the North East & Cumbria is sharing information and your stories about how to save money and make some extra cash.

An increasing number of people are looking to their passions as an additional income source, with 2024 study by The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed recording 460,000 side hustles in the UK, up from 383,000 the year before.

“I think if we can just close the loop and share clothes more, many people think giving away clothes to the charity shop is helping – but it only works if people are actually buying the clothes,” Mahovic said.