Re-Use, Re-Wear, Refresh In-Person
Swapping is more than exchanging clothes and resources—it’s about rethinking consumption, honouring culture, building community, and realising climate justice.
On 7 August 2025, Western Sydney University hosted its first-ever Clothes and Resources Swap, organised by the Festival of Action collective comprised of student collectives, community groups, researchers, and the University Library. Together, students and staff redistributed 297 kilograms of clothing, household goods, and books—including 230.45 kg of clothing and 66.55 kg of household items.
For many, the swap was a reminder of what university life can be: vibrant, face-to-face encounters that foster belonging and connection. In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, rising inequality, and climate impacts across Western Sydney, these events point toward another way of living—outside the logics of fast fashion and consumer capitalism.
The swap created not only material exchange but also space for critical learning: exploring clothing from anti-colonial, anti-capitalist perspectives, engaging with Indigenous weaving practices, and recognising diverse cultural traditions of reuse and repair.
From this event grew the Re-Use, Refresh, Re-Wear Exhibition—an invitation to consider how everyday practices like swapping and re-using can spark systemic change. On display are artefacts from the swap: photographs and videos capturing moments of exchange; African headwraps styled during the event; swing tags tracing the hidden histories of swapped garments; and woven baskets that highlight Indigenous practices of making and repair.
These stories and objects demonstrate the huge potential of swaps to revive campus life, repurpose universities, nurture solidarities, and prefigure anti-capitalist futures rooted in care for clothes, each other, and the planet.
- From:
- 9:00am, Wednesday, May 20, 2026
- To:
- 5:00pm, Tuesday, June 30, 2026
- Time Zone:
- Sydney, Melbourne (change)
- Location:
- Campbelltown Campus
- Campus:
- Campbelltown
- Audience:
- Academics & researchers Future students General Interest New to WSU Post-graduate students Undergraduate Students Western staff
- Categories:
- Community Events Thought Leadership Events Activity
Time Zone: Sydney, Melbourne (change)
Exhibition: The Next Generation Project
In-Person- From:
- 8:00am, Wednesday, May 20, 2026
- To:
- 5:00pm, Saturday, June 20, 2026
- Location:
- Penrith Campus, Penrith
- Audience:
- Undergraduate Students Post-graduate students Western staff Academics & researchers Future students
- Categories:
- Community Events First Nations Events
Time Zone: Sydney, Melbourne (change)
- Date:
- Monday, July 6, 2026
- Time:
- 10:00am - 12:00pm
- Location:
- Bankstown
- Audience:
- Undergraduate Students Post-graduate students
- Categories:
- Maths & Statistics Study Help & Exam Preparation
