Clothing Swap and Knit

1457 North Halsted Street,Chicago IL 60642

14 April, 2023

Description

Join Chicago Fair Trade and the Chicago Conscious Closet Club for a weekend-long clothing swap! In celebration of Earth Day 2023 and Fashion Revolution month, our event is for swappers of all ages, sizes, and genders. We’ll have repair guides available on site, experts on hand to help with styling, on-site pay-what-you-can mending, an international knitting circle you can join, and other fun freebies. Thanks to our partners at AIBI and Conscious Costume! We have two ticket options: get first dibs at our Exclusive Preview Night ($25-$35) or thrift for less with our General Admission ticket ($5-$10). EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW NIGHT: Friday April 14, 5-9 PM Get first dibs! Opening-night tickets are $35 ($25 for CFT members) and include: Take home up to 10 swap items-get first dibs!A chance to get pay-what-you-can repairs done by mending maestro Nandi from Bliss Joy BullLearn about and sign up for the Chicago-Chakouri Knitting ProjectAdult beverages and snacksAccess to the Chicago Fair Trade MuseumFree re-admission Saturday and SundayA chance to mingle with your fellow conscious consumers!GENERAL ADMISSION: Saturday April 15- Sunday April 16, 12-5 PM Admission these days is $10 ($5 for CFT members). Your ticket includes: Take home up to 10 swap itemsGet styling tips and shopping help from local thrifters extraordinaire Kaitlin Stewart (the Windy City Thrifter) on Saturday and Jess Frausto (the Thrifted Gay) on SundayLearn about and sign up for the Chicago-Chakouri Knitting ProjectTour the CFT Museum’s interactive displaysPlease bring your own bag to carry away your clothes. If you’d like to take more than 10 items, a $2 donation per item is requested. Want free clothes? Register for a volunteer ticket–see details under the “Tickets” link. We will follow up via email to assign you a specific volunteer shift. Donations You can bring donations with you to the event, or drop off in advance at any of the following locations: CFT Museum, 1457 N. Halsted, Chicago, Wed-Sat 12-5Mata Traders, 5112 N. Ravenswood, Chicago, Mondays 10-4:30Ten Thousand Villages Evanston, 915 Chicago Ave., Evanston, M-F 11-6, Sat 10-6, Sun 12-6AIBI, 2021 W. Fulton St. Suite K-11, Chicago, Weds, April 12, only, 12-6Re:new Project, 483 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn, M-F 10-4 or Sat 11-5Ten Thousand Villages Oak Park, 121 N. Marion St., Oak Park, M-T 12-6, W-F 11-6, Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5The Eco Flamingo, 4750 N Rockwell St., Chicago, daily 10-7Acceptable items: Clothing for all ages and genders, including coats, shoes, scarves, handbags, wallets, fashion accessories, ties, belts, backpacks, and jewelry. Jess Frausto (they/them, he/him)is a Mexican/Puerto Rican Chicago native who identifies as queer. They found their style through their gender expression that led to being an androgynous thrift stylist. After styling people who identified as queer, they realized there’s a need to bridge the gap to make clothes gender-affirming. Nandi got her start in designing and crafting at a young age. She attended design school at Iowa State University and completed her degree in fashion design at the Art Institute of NYC. Nandi moved back to the midwest after 4 years in New York and has lived in Chicago since 2015. Nandi started her business BLISS JOY BULL from a desire to reduce waste and use unwanted materials. In early 2021 Nandi began teaching sewing classes virtually. Over the years many people have come up to her during craft shows saying they “Don’t even know how to sew on a button”. With that in mind, along with the knowledge of overproduction, overconsumption, and lack of sewing skills, Nandi developed a visible mending class. Nandi strives to make sewing simple, bringing joy to the clothing we wear by making it last longer. Kaitlin Stewart (she/her) is a Chicago transplant originally hailing from Upstate NY where she grew up and received her BA in Theatre. Kaitlin has an immense love for secondhand clothing, dating all the way back to her childhood, and highlights that passion on her Instagram via @WindyCityThrifter. In addition to sharing her secondhand stylings, she also helps clients build a more sustainable and budget friendly wardrobe by styling them in secondhand pieces and/or helping them remix their existing closets. Through her own thrifting journey Kaitlin also discovered the importance of an intentional and conscious closet and shares tips and tricks with her followers so they too can cultivate a closet that truly serves them!