About Trade-Up

Trade-Up is dedicated to promoting sustainable fashion through clothing swaps. Our mission is to provide a platform for individuals to exchange their pre-loved clothing items, reducing waste and contributing to a circular fashion economy, all while being financially accessible.

The Problem

The clothing industry produces 1.2 million metric tons of carbon which is more than international flights and maritime shipping combined, is the second biggest consumer of water using 93 billion cubic meters, all while 34 billion pounds of textiles are thrown away in the US each year, which is about 85% of textiles in the country. Americans also spend $634 a month on clothing on average, while nearly half of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Due to environmentally detrimental fast fashion companies, Americans buy on average more than one piece of clothing per week as well.

Our Solution

We want to create a better alternative to receiving clothes for our customer, while also helping our planet and reducing the environmental impact of the clothing we wear. A system where clothing is exchanged immediately instead of just bought per item, keeping the cycle circular and the items in use is how we plan to do that.

TradeUp provides pop-up shops for people to donate their old clothes in exchange for new items, contributing to a circular fashion loop, and fighting fast fashion and over-consumption. It is also much more affordable for the customer to get clothing, which can be both a want and a need, as they only pay a flat fee for entry, rather than per item like many other places.

So How Does it Work?

There are three main options:

About our Clothing

Types of Clothing

- We take all sizes, styles, and types of clothing. This includes items such as shirts, pants, skirts, dresses, jeans, business-wear, jackets, and more! We also accept shoes, hats, accessories, and bags!

- We look for clean, gently used or unused pre-loved clothing for our pop-up shops!

- At our swaps you can find brands like Nike, Hollister, Adidas, Pink, Aeropostale, Abercrombie and Fitch, Justice, Children's Place and more!

- Our inventory has clothing for ages across the board!

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the entry fee?

Most events cost $10 to enter and exchange as many items as you would like!

How does the exchange work?

We have an inventory of donated pre-loved clothing that once you enter, we will check how many items you can swap while you browse, and you take home new items of your choice! New items are added to our inventory for each swap, so we encourage you to return when you are looking for something new!