Clothing Library

Voted! Wearing brown suit for Kamala. Leopard print for cat ladies. Rainbow pin for lgbtq. Of course secondhand for sustainability. And 18 year old daughter’s earrings for future generations. Always in theme! But seriously, so important to vote.

That’s Statue of Liberty behind me. Well, best that I could do in an hour.

Clothing Library founder, Stella McShera presented our pilot program at the 10th Annual Degrowth Conference in Spain this past week. Climate Activist Publication covered our journey. Check it out at the link below.

Need a new outfit? Try the library. For 6 weeks last winter, Dover's public library offered the city an alternative to fast fashion by lending clothes.

A great short film produced by Patagonia about the Clothing Industry, History of Consumerism, and Happiness.

It’s an advertisement for their values, clothing, and gear - but also a company who is making positive impacts in a corrupt industry.

It’s definitely worth taking a look. (Pro-tip, watch at 1.5x speed if you don’t have the full 45 minutes to watch).

The Sh*tthropocene - Patagonia Welcome to the age of cheap crap.

The Clothing Library Collective

Hello! We hope your winter was cozy and you are now enjoying this wonderful spring weather. It’s so nice to see the flowers grow and to have sun back on our faces.

We are excited to share what is blooming at the Clothing Library and the Clothing Library Collective.

The Clothing Library Collective is transitioning from operating the Clothing Library Dover to become a champion for new branches, nationwide and beyond. Acting as a hub for communication and fiscal support, we will help founders in new communities open and run their own Clothing Libraries.

UPDATES

Open Your Own Clothing Library

Do you love our mission? Does your community need its own Clothing Library? Join us on Sunday, May 19th for an informational workshop on “How to Open A Clothing Library”!

Location: Dover Public Library
Time: 2-3:30pm
Date: Sunday, May 19, 2024

RSVP at www.clothinglibrary.org

Earth Day Celebrations this Weekend

There will be a lot of of Earth Day events coming up this week from road clean-ups, beach clean-ups, and more. Here are two local Seacoast events that are fashion related to celebrate Earth Day:

Portswap - RecoverGirl and Portsmouth Recreation are hosting a clothing swap for all ages, genders, and sizes. Bring gently used clothing, accessories, and shoes and leave with new to you items. Located at 100 Campus Drive, Portsmouth NH from 10-12pm (after 12pm - shop without bringing clothes).

-AND-

The Clothing Library Collective is hosting a Event - Bring a picnic blanket, a snack, and something to mend and meet Stella and Casey on the lawn of the Newmarket Public Library on Saturday, April 20th from 3-4:30. This is a global event to encourage repairing your clothes to give them more life. Want to host your own event? Find more information, here.

How are you planning to celebrate Earth Day?

Since We’ve Been Gone

Stella received her Master’s Degree in Degrowth from the University of Barcelona. Congrats, Stella! The Clothing Library, Dover was born out of this project. It was a fast turn-around to see if this type of programming is something that our communities would benefit from - and it was a resounding, YES! We are excited to bring the Clothing Library, elsewhere.

Click here to read the 6-Week Pilot Report

Speaking of elsewhere, we are working on our workshops as presenters at the 2024 International Degrowth Conference in Pontevedra, Spain. We can not wait to meet so many people who are interested in sustainability, community, and environmentalism.

ASKS
Do you have a contact in the environmentalism or sustainability space - locally or globally - that you think we should meet? We would love an introduction! Send us an email at [email protected]

We are looking for grants and fiscal sponsors who would support research and development for the Clothing Library Collective. If you come across a good fit for us, please pass it along!

Today is our last day at the until next time.

If you have outstanding clothing items you borrowed, please pop by the Clothing Library today (1/28) from 1-3pm.

If for some reason you can’t make today, please get in touch with us at [email protected] to coordinate.

Thanks again for all your support and borrowing some amazing clothes. Borrow, don’t buy. And if you buy, make it secondhand. ☮️

Update #15 - The doors may be closed but our hearts are open.

These past 6 weeks have been amazing! Thank you for taking the journey with us.

We finished our pilot this past Monday and even down to the last minute, had new people come in curious and leave with (borrowed) clothing.

Although we aren’t planning weekly updates from here on out, we do hope to share exciting news as it develops. In the meantime, we will continue to learn more from our community as we prepare to relaunch!

UPDATES

1. Free Workshop - How to Set Up Your Own Clothing Library

What did we learn? In just 6 weeks, we learned a lot thanks to your participation in our pilot. Highlights will be shared at the start of the Fireside Chat on Thursday with more details to follow.

2. We are putting together a workshop on how to start your own Clothing Library and would love for you to join us. Are you entrepreneurial? Do you love fashion and care about sustainability? Is community building something that interests you?

RSVP - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fireside-chat-w-recycling-upcycling-reselling-experts-and-after-party-tickets-788122935917?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=PAAaa8e-qZiiUIUAx6WRHXVdA_nnBLsfJUiB5ZnVxlKd6NDzppFDMEDW0Kfo4_aem_AQTpmoBWupT-HWi58aIHCYiuFCn6r8pDtV8ny7766BFL69rQCGgexQtWmJkxF6GN1sQ

Moderator - Meet the Latest Member of the Clothing Library Team!

Nadine Hill will join us as moderator along with panelists Joe Whitten of Apparel Impact, Rebecca Earle of Hello, Again and Cotillion Bureau, Jennifer Moore of Project Upcycle, and Aqeel Hisham at Seacoast Online. Q&A follows so be sure to come with questions!

NOTE: This event will be videotaped for future use for digital media and marketing, as well as educational purposes.

Thursday, January 25th at 5:30pm! RSVP
Sponsors Tendercrop Farm in Dover and Maine Root

3. Mending Mondays - Last But Not Least….
Threadbare elbow? No problem. Heather showed us how to solve for that this past Monday. We are so grateful for her guidance on all ways to extend the life of clothing.

We plan on starting a monthly Makers and Menders group for hands on, group sharing and learning together (as we retool for the relaunch) to keep growing the community of like-minded people! Upcycle that old suit jacket? Learn to Sashiko Stitch, sew hems, dye fabrics, adorn shoes? It’s a learn as you go group. Email us at [email protected] if you’re interested.

GRATITUDE
Thank you to our sponsors and volunteers for the pilot and beyond!

ASKS
Storage. Can you believe we STILL need these? Yes, to properly protect the clothing until re-launch, we need more. If you have some sitting idle in your attic or garage, you know what to do! [email protected]

Tomorrow, Monday Jan 22 from 11-1pm join us for Mending Basics with Heather.

Last day to borrow - open 9-1pm. All returns should be back on Sunday, Jan 28 from 1-3pm.

Located at the Dover Public Library.

Join us Thursday! Food, fun, celebration, and lively chats about sustainability and fashion.

Also, don’t forget - one lucky person will be picked at random to win a free closet clean-out and styling session with Stella! (Valued at $250).

What are you waiting for? It’s the last weekend to try-out this radical service of free fashion to you!

Borrow an outfit that is outside of your comfort zone.
Grab a warm coat for these frigid temps.
Get a complete weeks worth of office attire or a new outfit for an interview or presentation.

No catch. No gimmick. Just free, sustainable fashion and community building.

We are so excited to meet you or see you again!

Located at the Dover Public Library, available to all Seacoast residents.

Exciting News!!! As a thank you and celebration of our success for the Winter Pilot of the Clothing Library, we are giving away a 2 hour Closet Clean-out and Styling Session.

To enter:

1. RSVP to our Fireside Chat: A Community Event with leaders in Sustainability & Fashion.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fireside-chat-w-recycling-upcycling-reselling-experts-and-after-party-tickets-788122935917?aff=oddtdtcreator

2. Attend the Event - The Raffle will take place at the Fireside Chat on January 25th at 5pm at the Dover Public Library. We will be up in the Lecture Hall which is located on the Top Floor. Must be present to enter.

Stay for the After-Party. You can be casual or you can be glam. Being extra is encouraged!