【College of Social Sciences News】

The Social Innovation Ambassador Team of the College of Social Sciences hosted a special "Clothing Library" clothing exchange event during the "Living, Clothing, Eating, and Traveling" series of activities for Social Enterprise Month in December. The event promoted the eco-fashion concept of "exchange instead of buy" on campus with the co-founders of the "Clothing Library," Hong Yujie and Chen Qingrong.

In recent years, online shopping has become more popular, and the global fashion industry has also been swept by the "fast fashion" trend. With many diverse shopping channels, it has become easy to buy clothes that are not suitable, and fast fashion often turns clothes into out-of-season items. The clothing industry has now become the second-largest polluting industry in the world. To address this wasteful trend, Hong Yujie founded the "Clothing Library" in 2017, which has since exchanged more than 3,000 second-hand clothes.

The concept of the Clothing Library is very simple. In its early stages, Hong Yujie set up a "shared wardrobe" in the dormitory corridor, where anyone could leave clothes they no longer needed and take away clothes they wanted. Each second-hand item has a unique story behind it. Near the shared wardrobe in the Women's Dormitory No. 2 at National Taiwan University, there is a story wall filled with memories of the clothes that once accompanied their previous owners. Hong Yujie laughed and said, "Many clothes brought for exchange were gifts from ex-boyfriends." This shows that many second-hand clothes are still in good condition, but for various reasons, people want to dispose of them. Instead of throwing them away or burning them, it’s better to find a new owner through exchange.

In addition to the shared wardrobes on campus, external exchange events, exhibitions, and lectures, the Clothing Library has also embraced online ordering trends by launching the "Clothing Library APP." This aims to break the geographic limitations of physical wardrobes and allows more college students to exchange clothes online, saving on storage and labor costs by allowing buyers to upload their clothes for exchange. Hong Yujie estimates that once the app is stable, it will facilitate the exchange of over 12,000 items per year, greatly expanding its current exchange capacity.

With the conclusion of Double 11 and Double 12, looking at the already overflowing wardrobes, we can head to the Clothing Library, bringing a piece of clothing you once cherished and exchange it for a piece that someone else has treasured. At the same time, we can send off our old clothes with stories. The Clothing Library hopes to initiate a small revolution starting from the wardrobe. From student groups following trends to the children's clothing market with fast-paced shopping habits, the Clothing Library hopes to gradually let the public recognize the value and emotions behind second-hand clothes, promoting an eco-fashion trend of "exchange instead of buy."

The Social Innovation Ambassador Team expressed their gratitude for everyone who participated in the "Good Market" event despite the cold winter rain. The last workshop of Social Enterprise Month will be held on December 16, inviting the "Fish Village" team to share their educational concepts about fish consumption, helping consumers build a connection with aquatic products, enhancing their impression of "fishermen" and "aquaculture," and learning to be responsible consumers. Everyone is welcome to join!

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Original Source: NCCU Campus News
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