Switch Society is restoring the hanging garments’ worth

Billings, Montana – With this membership-based business concept, you can give and exchange high-quality clothing items from your wardrobe for those of other people for a predetermined fee.

According to Emily Petroff, the CEO and founder of Switch Society, over 60% of the clothing we give frequently ends up in landfills across the world, while about 80% of the stuff in our closets is rarely worn.

She founded Switch Society, a zero-waste clothes company, in April 2023 with the goal of enhancing the value of the items we already own.

She stated that her goal was to establish a group of women who share her beliefs and don’t mind dressing differently.

Emily said “It’s really interesting, I have a group of women that come almost every Saturday and swap their whole wardrobe for the next week because you can and there is no long-term commitment. When we remove the barrier of money and the way that we participate with our clothing, everything changes. We are willing to try things that we might not normally try like styles, textures, and colors, it opens a whole new world of possibilities. The psychology in the way we participate with our clothing is mind-blowing.”

As a freelance writer and member of the Switched Society, Anne Holub appreciates the no-cash exchange and the opportunity to obtain both new and gently used goods.

“You see the really good quality and great brands of stuff, I feel like it’s very curated, Emily does a really great job of looking at what’s donated, but also she has an eye for ‘this can be upcycled’ and you know that no matter what you are donating and there are different levels of things that you can donate, even if it’s like fabric scrapes it’s going to have a new home and the stiff that comes through here, it’s still usually has a lot of life left in it.” Said Holub

The original Switch Society member, Linda Roers, claimed she preferred the comforts of Switch Society to shop at big-box department stores for clothes.

Roers said that she had eight sisters, so she has experience dressing up and down.

“It’s great to have a space where people can come in and give things that no longer serve them well or maybe not fit them so well in their closet and not have to outlay cash, and just come in and swap.” Said Roers

Switch Society has more than 400 members as of the beginning of this year, and more are always welcome. In the long run, Petroff expressed her desire to expand Switch Society’s reach throughout the United States.

Emily thinks that regardless of how much their clothes cost, all women need to be able to feel good about themselves and at ease in them.

Switch Society will hold a Family Swap this Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Billings Grace Methodist Church. Both members and non-members are welcome to attend and exchange clothes for the whole family.