Written by: Jessica Solomons
He’s an actor and a comedian but now Russell Brand, one of Britain’s most famous exports, is adding socially responsible entrepreneur to his list of skills. The quirky star set up a swap shop in a LA Shopping centre for one day only, encouraging passers-by to trade their unwanted goods (or sometimes even the clothes off their back) for anything in store.
There was an array of stuff on offer from celebrity donated paraphernalia from Russell’s fiancé Katy Perry to the weird and wacky brought in by the general public. What inspired Russell’s Buy Love Here store? The swap shop was part of a documentary which the 34-year old star is currently filming on the pursuit of happiness and was designed to create debate about our consumer culture and encourage the re-use of products. And with people queuing for hours to get through the doors, it seems Mr. Brand has done just that. While the Buy Love Here store was only in operation for 24 hours, we’re hoping the British comic’s brainchild generated interest in the culture of swapping, which has been gaining a big following around the world.
The swap shop culture, which first emerged in the ’70s and ’80s, is making a comeback, especially on the internet. The trend was sparked by a ’70s BBC television show called Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, which encouraged children to swap their unwanted games with each other. But now growing numbers of adults are realizing the financial benefits of the swapping culture.
According to research, growing numbers of people are buying clothes, books and gadgets with money raised by selling their unwanted or unused goods online. Swapitshop.com and Swapshop.co.uk are two sites on which people can sell items in return for points which they can then use to buy other items on the sites. One site, Swapz.co.uk, a direct swapping site, has even seen people swapping houses!
But the culture of swapping is not limited to the internet. Many stores are popping up both here and abroad which encourage second-hand items to be brought in and then sold at reduced costs. Rewardrobe in Cape Town is one such example. You simply fill a bag with clothes, shoes or accessories and the girls at Rewardrobe will price them for you, hang them on their rails and give you a percentage of the money made. Now that’s a great way to declutter your closet! Plus you can peruse the store and pick up a few bargains yourself. With people looking to tighten their belts and save those precious pennies, swap shops and swapping parties which you can organize and host yourself at home, are a smart way to revamp your wardrobe without seriously damaging your budget. Russell Brand’s doing it, so why not you?
The liveeco team
