Dec 14, 20203 min read

Sustainable Student Clothes Swapping App

By Jessica Bennett, Dopplle Ambassador at the University of Exeter

Fast Fashion Facts

· After oil, fashion is the world’s second most polluting industry due to the use of pesticides, formaldehyde, carcinogens etc. in the fabrics that are used to make the clothes we wear.

· On average, an individual in the UK produces up to 70 kilograms of fabric waste each year. While cheap and fast fashion allows consumers to spend less, we are also buying more than we need.

· In the UK, each household emits about 1.5 tons of CO2 from new and current clothing. This is similar to the carbon footprint of an average modern car that has covered about 6,000 miles.

Dopplle: An alternative to Fast Fashion

Dopplle is a platform which promotes sustainable living through fashion. We launched our clothes swapping app at the beginning of the year and now need the support of students to expand across the country. We want to encourage the permanent or temporary swapping of clothes among friends and students within university communities, such as the University of Exeter, as an alternative to buying more clothes. Some environmentally friendly clothing brands are more expensive than their less environmentally friendly counterparts, which can perhaps make students feel it is difficult to shop sustainably. Through providing an option for acquiring new clothes through swapping rather than buying, Dopplle hopes to provide and encourage a form of slow fashion which is affordable and attainable for students, proving that it is possible to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

We have chosen to launch Dopplle within universities, so that users can build their reputation within student communities and therefore be more trusted with others’ clothing when they lend items out. Not only does Dopplle provide an alternative to textile waste and the production of new clothes, we also pay for your clothes’ carbon footprint every month you stay signed up to our mailing list. The figure used to calculate this is based off the national average of one person spending around £300 a year on clothes. Many students at the University of Exeter will have enjoyed going to physical swap shops on campus, such as those hosted by Amnesty and by Dopplle. Due to coronavirus it is difficult to continue running physical swap shops. This is where Dopplle comes in, as it functions like a virtual swap shop where you are able to gain new items through trading your old items. In the future, when events and social gatherings are a part of life again, we hope to encourage people to look on Dopplle for that new top for a night out, rather than turning to a fast fashion store!

How does the Dopplle app work?

First Steps

1. Download from the Apple or Google Play Store

2. Go into the Dopplle app and make sure you have joined your university group

3. Click the ‘Add New Item’ button on the Dashboard.

4. Add photos, a name, a description and categories (e.g. size and colour)

5. Save the item as Active and now it will be visible to other users

Trading

1. Trade items using Dopplle coins

2. If someone requests your item, you can trade it for a Dopplle coin on the app

3. Swap the item of clothing

4. Use the Dopplle coin from this trade to buy an item for yourself