Sarah Buchholtz
Features Editor
On Sunday, Nov. 9, the Office of Sustainability and Knot Another Fiber Arts Society hosted a campus Clothing Swap in Allen Commons from 3-5 p.m. The event encouraged students to get free clothes, donate unwanted items and mend clothes, all while promoting sustainability and community engagement.
Tables filled the space with everything from coats to sweaters and shoes. Students were invited to come with clothes to donate and leave with new clothes, creating a collaborative exchange that emphasized reuse over consumption.
Event organizers included Michelina Guerra ’26 and Sammy Amier ’26, both of whom are student workers for the Office of Sustainability, and Amier as the community service coordinator of Knot Another Fiber Arts Society. “I think [the clothing swap] is a really nice event,” said Guerra. “Students are able to come and get cute clothes from people who donated theirs. You have the ability to get clothes in a sustainable way because the fashion industry is not super sustainable, and hundreds of millions of pounds of clothing go to waste every year. [This event] diverts clothes from the landfill and finds people who actually want them, and keeps people from spending money while reducing consumption.”
Volunteers helped sort donations and organize the clothing on the various tables. The donated clothing was from The College of Wooster students, who had the opportunity to drop off donations in bins located in their residence halls. “There should be a bin with a sign saying what you can donate and what [the Office of Sustainability] is looking for,” explained Guerra when asked about the process of donating for the event.
Apart from the clothing tables, Knot Another Fiber Arts Society had a table set up at the front of Allen Commons, welcoming students over to their mending station that offered quick fixes for rips or a chance to embroider patterns and cloth onto any clothes. “Students can bring their damaged clothes or anything they want to spruce up a little bit here. We can help you mend it or even add some embroidery on it,” said Raegan Herdman ’27, treasurer of Knot Another Fiber Arts Society.
For attendees, the event was a chance to refresh their wardrobes while staying sustainable. “I’ve put some things in the community donation bins,” said Naomi Campbell ’27. “I wanted to come and check [this event] out to find some new additions to my closet. I also love seeing people get excited about doing something that’s sustainable that also helps them in their own life. You can find new clothes and also help reduce the amount of waste that comes from the clothing industry.”
The leftover clothing was taken to the Wooster Goodwill.
The clothing swap highlighted how simple acts like donating and trading clothes instead of buying new ones can make a big difference in the world of overconsumption. Herdman mentioned that instead of throwing away a piece of clothing that has a small tear, people can learn how to mend their clothes with help from Knot Another Fiber Arts Society. “If anybody wants to stop by and do some knitting, crocheting, mending or embroidery, they are more than welcome to,” she emphasized.
Guerra ended by saying, “if you have clothes and want to donate them, drop them in the bin in the laundry room, and maybe they’ll end up at an event like this.”
The Office of Sustainability and Knot Another Fiber Arts Society plan to continue collaborating on this event every semester. Students can continue to donate clothes throughout the semester at local donation bins, or save up clothes to donate for the next Clothing Swap event!