MUB collection has been fully manufactured using discarded bed linen sheets sorted by Empty Your Wardrobe and previously dyed with natural methods by Warm and Wild.
The fabrics used for designing the collection are sourced by Empty Your Wardrobe:
- partnering with a factory located in Denmark and establishing more collaborations;
- hosting swaps and other types of clothes exchange events in Bulgaria and Denmark;
- creating a physical spot for a secondhand exchange called Swap Spot.
The mission of Empty Your Wardrobe (EYW) focuses on both minimizing textile waste and creating a sustainable creative hub for opportunities. EYW reduces textile waste by extending the life of used clothing and accessories following the circular economy doctrine; reduce, reuse, recycle. The project also aims to empower communities, corporations, initiatives, and individuals to create, establish or launch their own creative and sustainable ideas, products, initiatives, or services.
To the recent moment, Empty has achieved to co-design in collaboration two capsule clothing collections (ZOVV & MUB), to host 12 community meetings, 10 pop-up events, 3 festivals (Swap Festival & Remake / Repair), 10 workshops for textile transformation, and 10 clothes swap events visited more than 3 600 visitors in Bulgaria and Denmark. EYW owns 3 awards for its sustainable impact and has curated 3 exhibitions displaying examples of waste transformed in art.
The Clothes Swap Events are social events for swapping clothes and accessories. Locals and internationals renew their wardrobes with secondhand pieces and in that manner make more environmental choices. At the so-called Workshops for textile transformation participants learn how to capsulize their wardrobes – speakers and lecturers share useful tips, knowledge about how to treat the fabrics, how to be creative and make more combinations with fewer clothes, and how to emphasize the natural beauty. With the help of mentors and craftsmen they transform, repair, renew and/or upcycle the pieces they don’t like anymore. Mentioning a few examples: Paper workshop, How to sew a Tote Bag?, DIY.
Empty´s first Upcycled Collection made of single upcycled pieces from scraps reused textile, collected from swap events is called ZOVV Collection. Using re-design, re-making, up-cycling techniques, patchwork, natural dying, the wasted textile is transformed into unique pieces. The collection is in collaboration with young fashion and jewelry designers who follow the principle of zero-waste or create crafts with a minimum of waste.
When we say Community meetings we emphasize integration, finding a common mission and that is in our case is sustainability. Social events for people interested in sustainability, sustainable development who would like to join a community creating a positive social and environmental impact. Monthly meetings are open to newcomers, where we usually discuss and plan upcoming events. Students and locals are engaged in a truthful discussion about green social actions.
Other occurring events hosted by Empty and Food Reformers, are the Pop-up events, mostly hosted at universities and schools, at parks, or on the streets, handing out free clothes and free food to raise awareness about the value of our waste.
In 2018, Empty Your Wardrobe together with The piazza project and Elisa Campanella, hosted an event willing to stress the importance of the debate on sustainability in a public venue, open to support an exchange of ideas and proactive dialogue. The Manifestation aimed to raise awareness on the main causes that Empty Your Wardrobe promotes: sustainable living and Circular Economy. Two concepts are the theoretical frame to study how citizens and businesses can contribute to creating a new economic paradigm. Good practices, different lifestyles, and daily habits, fair purposes for the future – both in industrial productions, markets, and lifestyles – were the core of the event which included a pop-up exhibition of an upcycled collection ZOVV and a series of talks lead by 4 speakers who dedicate their work to sustainable living, both curated by EYW. The event was open to local citizens and international students and visited by around 50 of them, supported as well by Nicolai for børn.
In 2019, Empty was a host together with Food Reformers at the 1st Swap Festival in Bygning 5, Kolding, Denmark. Visited by more than 200 people the motto of the event was: swap instead of throwing. The festival supports the Zero Waste movement, Circular Economy and shows an alternative to our current “Throw away” culture, by letting visitors swap clothes, food, and more, and participate in sustainable workshops during the day. Everyone is welcome to join. During the day there are clothes and food swaps, with future ideas for book swaps, toys, and plant swaps, electronics swaps, etc; workshops, food, drinks, DJ, talks, and an amazingly cozy atmosphere. More about the event, you can find here.
Another festival that happened the same year was Remake & Repair Festival The festival has a focus on repairing, upcycling as well as creating a positive atmosphere and joyful experience for families and their kids. Empty Your Wardrobe has joined the festival hosting a clothing swap event and a repair workshop facilitated by Kitt Grace Kossmann, a fixer at Repair Café Kolding. She led a DIY workshop with the topic: “Bring your pair of jeans or a T-shirt you are bored with and give them a new look!”
During the mentioned festivals the idea of a physical coin for clothing exchange has established its roots. Visitors started asking for physical evidence of the swap, a coin they can use the other time when they want to swap. They also asked for a temporary spot where they can come and swap clothes on a daily basis. That is how the idea about Wastecoin has been stated.
In 2020, at the level of collecting and sourcing the raw materials for MUB collection, EYW had to be innovative and cope with Covid-19 health restrictions which strongly impacted our plans for the organization of swap markets and events. Fortunately, through partnership and cooperation with Kolding Green Streets and Kim Aagaard Holm, Empty Your Wardrobe succeeded in organizing 3 swap markets (May-August 2020) in Denmark. People were invited to bring bed linen & cotton fabrics and received extra coupons: Wastecoins. These coins can be exchanged in the future for shopping MUB products. The events were visited by more than 500 people who experienced the vibe of sustainable culture.
Big thanks to our partners and friends Beirholm, Swap Spot and Natálie Vencovská, Nicolai for børn, Bygning 5, Repair Café Kolding, Food Reformers and Iben Østergaard Fog, Kolding Green Streets and Kim Aagaard Holm.
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