You might have finished your flower cleaning while you were outside in your bedroom.
But then what? Do you want to keep your bag of clothes in your trunk and say you’ll donate it “someday,” or would you rather bring it to a gathering where you can exchange clothing in exchange for new clothes?
At the “Happy Daze” clothing derivatives that Disco Loft hosts in D.C., you can do just that.
Customers at the Happy Daze clothes transfer hosted by Disco Loft in D. C., on Saturday, June 22, 2024. ( WTOP/Ciara Wells )
An experience in green shopping
Since 2020, Sidney Hui, the owner of the Instagram-based thrift store Disco Loft, has been selling handpicked items and organizing group events.
“I was kind of faced with the reality that I’ve collected a pretty large selection of unique home decor items simply throughout my life when I was working from home with my full-time work during the crisis. And so I started selling only through Instagram, and it worked out”, Hui said.
“Then, I started to organize events, whether they were industry or the derivatives, in 2021. But that’s kind of how it culminated”, she added.
Hui started hosting everything from car sales to independent team reading classes to pop-up areas that allow fashion fanatics from all over the area get together and share their personal tone with others. She got the idea for the name “Disco Loft” from the well-known sparkling globes that brighten her D. C. room.
“When I’m at the thrift store, I sort of stick to things that I enjoy and think other people will love.” But I’m really looking for things to buy simply because I believe that’s the simplest way to create a real model. Hui described her collection process for Disco Loft as being much simpler to curate when you’re curating for yourself.
This past Saturday, Disco Loft, alongside other lovers, hosted the “Content Slumber” clothes swap at Union Market’s Dock 5. Who could attend the event who wanted to change their previously-loved outfits for some new styles was free and accepted.
Despite the scorching conditions, hundreds of people came up and traded their garments on Saturday.
Inside the Dock 5 inventory, there were rows and rows of garments laid out on cheap tents. You had to do the digging and digging for yourself because there weren’t names that could tell you the size or the cause of the products.
The shopping experience enables customers to explore lasting products.
“I think that the feelings are high, just like the heat, but I think it’s going well”, Hui said of Saturday’s function.
‘There’s strength in numbers ‘
Hui hopes that people from all walks of life can be seen represented at her activities. For Saturday’s switch, Hui and Plush DMV, another Instagram-based and community-driven activity that promotes body positivity and diversity of sizes, teamed up.
Plush DMV’s chairman, Mayra Meija, was inspired by various national campaigns that promote plus-size people’s social interactions without bias.
She set up her second conference in Petworth in 2019 and has since grown in the company.
“The pleasure was it, but we kept it going”, Meija told WTOP.
She said she was inspired to pursue a career by helping others find a place to enjoy themselves in similar business. Since then, she has organized gatherings for people to swap clothes, have delighted time, and read books.
“Many people feel afraid to go out or afraid to be perceived or be seen when we talk to people,” says the author. “So, I think … specifically for plus- size people, there’s power in numbers and power in ( finding ) a space for you”, she said.
“Community, for me, means a comfortable place, a secure place, a place where you can get and feel free to remain yourself.”
Meija said attendees of her events are frequently overjoyed to discover a group that accepts them and makes companions. She claimed that individuals who may not be able to share their life with their “right size” friends actually resonate with the idea of society.
At the Playhaus unoccupied financial place across from Dock 5, Meija hosted her own clothes transfer. Clothing was more conveniently arranged on chairs that ranged in size from XL to 6XL.
This writer also stepped up and exchanged some worn-out clothes for new ones.
“We run our derivatives a little different. The ‘Happy Daze ‘ transfers are often only like: throw your products on the floor, there’s no firm, sizes may be mixed in. For me, because I’m like an organized people, I want desks with sizes. I really think it’s easier on the back”, Meija said of the event.
Meija said she has been doing the clothes swaps regionally in response to high demand from plus-sized individuals who want green options.
“I think for plus- sized people, sustainability is such a hot topic because there’s not a lot of options to shop sustainably, and you can’t just go to any thrift store and expect to find something in your size”, she said. “So I think the transfers truly help people.”
Helping people while helping yourself
For Lydia Franklin, a senior partner of the Content Daze event and owner of Evolve Vintage, the clothing swaps give her the chance to share some of her special finds with others looking to change their style.
“Sometimes, I’ll bring clothes from my vintage shop that maybe I don’t want to sell anymore. Whatever I’m trying to get rid of that I believe would appeal to someone else,” she said. “We love doing these situations.”
After the event, Hui wrote in a post on Instagram that she was “filled with huge love for everyone who came to the transfer.”
“Not to get sentimental, but we put this switch on because we love you men and our wee cautious area. Finding a place where people care about conservation and clothing is so important to us!” she wrote.
With complete tote sacks in tow and sweets from nearby vendors at the occasion, attendees are ready to put their new discovers to their closets.
Hui has not stated when the upcoming apparel transfer will take place, but added that any new parts like suppliers and partners will be location-specific at the following occasion.
The So What Else nonprofit, which provides emergency assistance to underserved communities throughout the metropolitan D.C. area, received all the leftover clothing.