The Worn Again Clothing Swap was held on Dec. 8 in the Gould Auditorium at the University of Utah’s J. Willard Marriott Library. This event was part of a sustainable design practice class, as taught by graphic design professor Carol Sogard.

Sogard said the goal of this course was to “learn about ways in which they [students] can use their design skills to make an impact on the world.” Students in Sogard’s class were tasked with designing an event that would play into the idea of sustainability while incorporating graphic design elements. 

The Worn Again swap event was first held in 2019 and is projected to be held yearly from now on.

U students were urged to donate unwanted and unworn clothing to the collection bins that were dispersed around campus since the beginning of November. Specialty items such as winter clothing and coats were in high demand to help students and those in need stay warm this winter.

Clothing donations were also accepted at the event, where a volunteer would restock the racks as often as clothing was received. In the spirit of the holiday season, there was also a small food drive conducted along with the clothing items. 

Neil Sodja, Deana Melchior, Jasmin Nguyen and Derek Gardiner are all seniors in the graphic design program at the U who worked together to carry out this project. Gardiner said they were inspired to revive this event by their lessons on fast fashion in class. “We were studying fast fashion, and how that impacts the environment, third world countries and the workers in those countries,” Gardiner said. “The event is supposed to raise awareness about fast fashion and how that affects the environment.”

In addition to the physical event, there were displays around the library showcasing statistics about the effects of fast fashion, and how students can be more mindful about what they wear. Practices such as buying and donating from thrift stores, repurposing old clothing and buying less fast fashion items were advertised in their library displays, Instagram page and slideshow.

The swap was open to all students, faculty and staff at the U, who milled around checking the racks for clothing to take home, while an informational slideshow about how to combat fast fashion played in the background. A female student who asked to remain anonymous said she came to the event because of the allure of free clothes. “It was something I couldn’t pass up,” she said. She also said she found it easy to donate her old clothes to the bins because it saved her a trip to the thrift store.  

“We have a few different charities that we will work with after the event, and the leftover clothes will be donated to those charities,” Sogard said. Additionally, the food items collected will be donated to a local food bank.

Gardiner said there were easily over 300 students who attended the event.

In order to be more sustainable, Gardiner said to research brands one is considering purchasing from. “I will say you don’t necessarily have to stop buying from brands that participate in fast fashion, but do research and sort of be aware of what brands [you] are supporting,” Gardiner said.

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@AllisonChrony