Rachael Stewart and Lori Wiechec

The clothes you buy can have a huge impact on the environment as well as your bank balance. But is it possible to make shopping a guilt-free experience?

Every year UK consumers purchase 2.15 million tonnes of new clothing, shoes and accessories, and, in that same year, throw away more than 900,000 million items - many of them hardly worn. A recent survey found that the average woman buys 14 items of clothing each year that she never wears - which adds up to a whopping £12, 810 over the cost of her working life. Clearly, those cut-price shopping sprees are costing us a fortune.

Miranda - another satisfied customer

We're paying a high price ecologically, too. Growing cotton provides nearly half of the worlds textile needs, and uses nearly a quarter of all the world's insecticides. The softening agents, bleaches and dyes used in fabric production can also be toxic to the environment if they are not used or disposed of properly.

High Street clothes are often manufactured in some of the poorest parts of the world where labour costs are lower and workers are subjected to unfair and unsafe working conditions, long hours and low pay.

These clothes are then transported thousands of miles by air, sea and road in order to reach our shops, using petrol, diesel and oil which contribute to global warming. Many of these clothes eventually end up in landfill sites. Those made from synthetic fibres will not decompose, while chemicals used as part of theproduction process can leach into surrounding soil.

So what can we do to make our wardrobes more eco-friendly? Many High Street Shops like Marks and Spencer and Top Shop have already produced ranges of organic or fairtrade clothing. But the most eco-friendly way to revamp your wardrobe is to go to a clothes swapping and exchange your unwanted gear for someone else's cast-offs.

Lori Wiechec and Rachael Stewart host regular clothes swaps in London. Called Feather Duster, their swapping parties provide an alternative to the throwaway fashion trend and encourage recycling and refashioning.

"Hosting and attending clothing swaps allows us to acquire new clothes regularly without the guilt of spending loads of money or doing excessive damage to the environment," explains Lori, who used to have her own clothing label and has worked for designers including Julien McDonald.

"We invite people to clean out their closets and bring all those items that never get worn to swap for something new," she explains. "Everything left over at the end of the day is donated to charity."

Best of all, aside from the £5 entry fee, it doesn't cost a penny. Provided everybody brings at least one item to enter the swap guests are encouraged to leave with as much as they want - from high street treasures to designer labels.

There are also professional stylists on hand to help put new outfits together, along with sewing experts who can help with alterations or customisation. "The message is, 'Swap don't Shop'" says Lori. Who knew ethical fashion could be so much fun?

The next Feather Duster clothing swap is coming soon so go to hybird.co.uk or myspace.com/hybirdproductions to reserve your place.

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