The Ivey Fashion and Retail Club (IFRC) recently hosted the second annual Clothing Swap event, which encouraged students to donate gently-used clothing in exchange for the chance to “shop” for other donated clothing. The event brought in more than 250 clothing items, including tops, shirts, sweaters, and dresses. Of these items, 53 went to new Ivey student homes and the remaining 197 were donated to ANOVA, a local non-profit organization that assists victims of sexual violence.
The clothing swap idea came from Lauren Mooney, an HBA ’23 candidate and Vice President of Careers of IFRC, who wanted a way for students to engage in sustainable fashion practices within the school community.
“I noticed that a lot of people I talked to really loved thrifting and finding unique pieces,” said Mooney. “Access to professional business attire can also be very expensive, especially in a business school where presentations are so important. I thought this might be a great opportunity for students to find business attire.”
Giving back to the London community
For the inaugural clothing swap in 2021, the IFRC partnered with Dress for Success in Toronto. This year, Mooney wanted to make an impact on the local London community so the IFRC partnered with ANOVA, which the team became familiar with during their HBA1 year.
What’s next for the clothing swap?
Since this is Mooney’s last year at Ivey, she and IFRC Vice President of Events, Keertana Mohan, will be passing the baton to future IFRC members. Mooney and Mohan said they hope the club can continue to develop relationships with donation centres through meaningful partnerships and scale the initiative to increase participation from students and the broader community.
“I think the event has grown just because of how aware people are of the effects of fast fashion and just how generous everyone in the Ivey community is and willing to help their local community and those around them,” said Mooney.
More about the Ivey Fashion and Retail Club
IFRC’s mission is to introduce Ivey’s HBA students to the diverse career opportunities within the fashion and retail space. The club empowers students to explore the intersections between retail and the career functions they are interested in such as finance, consulting, tech, and more. In addition to the clothing swap event, the IFRC organizes an annual conference, speaker panels and networking events throughout the year, and a mentorship program.
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