Big Smile Collective

 

The brand is vibrant, energetic, friendly and fun. It is created to give people amazing experiences while delivering opportunity to positively impact their future and the future of our planet. It is built on the principle of collaboration, the community coming together and sharing skills and knowledge to better everyone’s lives. For that to work, transparency and authenticity are key to build strong trust and willingness to continuously collaborate.

Let’s not forget about innovating, breaking the status quo and questioning existing systems. Opportunity, self expression and impact are human rights and no stereotype or current circumstances should limit them for anyone. Opening of doors, making accessible what was privileged and helping people and communities thrive is what drives the brand, its team and customers.

Yet it is not always about big impact and enormous gestures. The smallest of actions like swapping and mending your clothes can have a tremendous ripple effect. Empower people to take small steps to a better future.

  • Be You - Everyone has the right to use fashion to express their unique identity. However, our customers can often find this a privilege, we exist to bring it back to the human right that it is. Internally, therefore, it means that we all are our unique selves fully authentic and fully expressive, we celebrate our diversity and how special every human being is. It can look eclectic but we don’t apologise for who we are.
  • Stitch the Future - Like creating that perfect garment that truly expresses you starts with a big vision and requires commitment and takes time, so does stitching the future you want to see and live. Your personal future and the future of the planet is yours to create. Taking even the smallest action gets you closer to the life you want to live and the world you want to live in. We want to empower people by giving them access, teaching them skills and creating opportunities for them to not only reach their full potential but also create a positive impact on the planet.
  • Collaborative community - Everyone coming together and sharing their knowledge and skills to create a better future for us all. All projects, all communications and all impact comes from the collaborative force of the whole community.
  • Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/bigsmilecollective
    Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/bigsmilecollective/ 

You can just turn up and pay on the door, or if you want to pre-register then mosey on over to Eventbrite: https://bigsmilecollective.eventbrite.co.uk/

Frequently asked questions:

What is a clothes swap?
People bring clothes they no longer wear or like, and exchange these for clothes that other people have donated. This helps stop old clothes from going to landfill, and helps people get a new wardrobe affordably.

What items do you accept at the swap?
Clothing, shoes, bags and accessories.

How many items can I swap?
You can swap up to 7 items per event of your own clothing. With the 3 swap tokens you get on the door, this makes 10 items maximum.

What if I have more items to exchange?
We are happy to take and recycle more than 7 items, providing they are good quality and in clean condition. You can only take away a maximum of 10 items, so if you swap more than this then you will need to use the additional tokens at a future event.

Can I bring items that need repairing?
You can bring items that need repairing or upcycling and these can be donated to others for reuse. We hope to have the facility to carry out basic repairs at future swap.

I haven't got any clothes to swap. Can I still come?
Yes - your £3 entry fee will allow you 3 swap tokens so you can take at least 3 items home. (If you do bring items, you will get more tokens for these too!)

Is there anything you don't accept?
You can't exchange underwear, childrenswear, uniform, leisurewear or soiled or broken items. However, we can arrange for these items to be recycled.

Will you have menswear?
We will have a selection of menswear, however this may not be as wide as the womenswear - we really want to build this area.

What sizes will be available?
We hope to stock a selection of sizes - however this is dependent on stock levels on the day. If you don't find what you want, have a chat and we will try to make sure we have more of those items at the next swap (where your tokens will still be valid).

I don't want to swap clothes. Can I just attend the workshop?
Wherever possible, we will include workshop access in your £3 swap entry fee. If materials are very expensive or workshops are oversubscribed, we may need to charge for workshops separately at future swaps.

What happens if I can't find anything I like at the swap?
Your swap tokens will still be valid for future Big Smile Collective Clothing Swaps.