The University of Rhode Island’s 193 Coffeehouse hosted a clothing swap on Tuesday, March 26, as a way to promote community engagement and sustainability on campus.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., students were invited to stop by the coffeehouse and enjoy sipping on a fresh cup of joe whilst exchanging old clothes for used ones.
The coffeehouse has previously hosted similar events, including closet sales where students could sell items they didn’t want anymore; however, unlike in these events, the clothing swap was designed differently, according to event organizer Allie Iaciofano.
“I wanted it to be something that didn’t necessarily have to cost anything and could just be something that anyone could access,” Iaciofano said. “I thought it would be a great thing for community engagement.”
All clothes at the event could be swapped for free and everything that wasn’t taken by the end of the event will soon be donated to an organization, which has yet to have been determined, according to event coordinator Ava Colabelli.
“I’m not sure exactly but I know we have some plans to donate to Savers or Goodwill, stuff like that,” Colabelli said.
Inspiration behind the creation of the swap sparked from both community and personal values, according to Iaciofano, who came up with the initial idea.
“I think a lot of people have a similar sentiment to my own,” Iaciofano said. “Instead of my first inclination being just getting rid of clothes, I would rather promote something where people exchange instead of buying new things or throwing away things.”
Many participants expressed similar views to those of Iaciofano.
“I like the environment here and I also had a lot of clothes that I’ve been wanting to give away too, so it was pretty convenient,” one coffeehouse regular said. “I think it’s really sustainable because a lot of people want to give away clothes but they still have good pieces.”
Upon discovery of the sustainability focused clothing-swap, students such as Aerianna O’Halloran became inclined to participate.
“I am always interested in sustainable ways to get new clothes,” O’Halloran said. “So I saw that this was happening and I’ve never seen anything like it so I wanted to come by, drop off some stuff and see what’s here … I’d love to see this happen in more places on campus and off campus.”
Sustainability is something 193 has been striving towards for a while within simple everyday practices, according to Colabelli.
“A lot of our stuff, our coffee mugs, most of it behind the counter is thrifted,” Colabelli said. “We try to make sure that we have a lot of mugs so that people don’t have to get a reusable cup everytime they come, which reduces the amount of plastic we use.”
The artsy, vintage aesthetic of 193 was not just designed around the looks and style of the coffeeshop and more so has been tailored towards the strengthening of sustainability.
“The lamps are thrifted, the decorations are thrifted, everything is kind of second-hand,” Colabelli said.
193 is looking to possibly hold a second clothing swap before the semester ends, considering some students may have missed out, according to Iaciofano.
On April 16, 193 Coffeehouse will be hosting a flea market from 1-4 p.m. where any and all students are encouraged to bring used or old items for sale or display.