On Clothes-Swapping, Eco-Feminism And Normalizing Sustainability: GOOD girls ATX
This Spring, we’re touching base with our members and friends around this season’s theme: NURTURE.
Today, we’re talking with Marcella and Kara of GOOD girls ATX on the mission and vision behind their clothes-swapping pop-up series, as well as their ideas for nurturing our communities (and our home planet) year-round.
Marcella. Courtesy of GOOD girls ATX
Kara. Courtesy of GOOD girls ATX
MEET MARCELLA AND KARA OF GOOD GIRLS ATX:
1.) Who are you and how would you describe what you do in your own words?
Marcella Bechtel: We are Marcella Bechtel and Kara Wright, founders of GOOD girls ATX. We are a community-driven organization dedicated to helping individuals build wardrobes that are GOOD for the planet and its people.
Kara Wright: We’re here to normalize sustainable lifestyle practices beginning with how we interact with the fashion industry. Our bread and butter is clothing swaps, but we’ve been trying out new concepts like skills workshops and the upcoming Earth Day Upcycling Party. At every event, we promise to be radically transparent, intentionally inclusive and data-driven.
2.) What prompted the start of GOOD girls ATX? Paint a picture of the last two years for us.
MB: Literally the night we met, Kara and I identified a mutual passion for sustainable fashion and knew we wanted to work together on something big, but we didn’t know what that was. In 2019, we threw our first clothing swap with friends in our backyard called “Good girls Wear Hand Me Downs”. Everyone who came got amazing clothes, but the sense of community and positive energy that was felt by every swapper was even more powerful.
KW: So we continued to throw clothing swaps for the next year, but each one got bigger with the help of friends in the community. In order to expand our educational component, demonstrate event impacts and reach more people, we decided to build a brand, website and Instagram account. Playing off the name of our first swap and recognizing the elements of ecofeminism in our mission, we started officially calling ourselves GOOD girls ATX in March 2021.
MB: Anybody can be a GOOD girl! Our Fall 2021 swap included male-identifying participants for the first time, and they’ve been with us ever since. All are welcome at GOOD girls ATX.
3.) What is GgATX hoping to nurture? In the community? In terms of our habits?
MB: GOOD girls ATX is hoping to nurture wardrobes, community, and identity. We provide tools to sustain wardrobes, because the best thing that anyone can do for the planet and its people is wear what is already owned. We love that GOOD girls ATX has brought together a community of like-minded individuals (consumers & vendors) that are interested in fashion & sustainability. Our vision is to nurture consumption habits to be hyper-local & consciousness. Fashion is a way to express oneself but not the only way to create an identity.
KW: We’re also trying to nurture a more empowered, hands-on relationship with material possessions. We want everyone in our community to not only imagine what is possible with their garments, but to have the skills and tools to transform it into something they love wearing. We’re talking about styling, repair, tailoring, dyeing, printing- all that fun stuff!
4.) If GgATX were a physical space, what would your dream HQ look like? What could people find?
MB: Our dream HQ would probably be a tiny house that is completely made out of reclaimed items & completely zero-waste. It would probably be very minimalist and centered around a large outdoor collaborative space.
KW: You’d absolutely see a sewing machine in or two. Our HQ would be a place that anyone could come to with a clothing item and leave with a solution whether that’s coaching them through repairing the item or exploring avenues for re-homing it.
MB: One of the biggest issues that we’ve run into is having so many leftovers from clothing swaps, so you’d definitely see some swap leftovers that we’re in the process of re-homing.
5.) With Earth Day coming up, conversations about the climate and our communities will uptick. What do you wish people would practice year-round when it comes to Earth Day?
MB: We’ve been seeing a lot of marketing for ‘shopping sustainably on Earth Day’ or ‘$1 Earth Day sales’. These messages are examples of greenwashing, which is when brands use marketing to influence consumers to purchase items perceived as ‘sustainable’. No matter what materials you’re purchasing, consumption affects the Earth in some way. If we could inspire people to practice something year-round, it would be conscious consumerism and re-homing. Only 15% of items make it onto the floor at donation centers, so it’s also important to avoid getting rid of items too quickly.
KW: And this is in no way limited to fashion… We use fashion as the basis to connect folks to the impacts of their behaviors, but shifting consumption habits universally is critical to restoring balance with the planet. We want communities to be mindful about how they consume everything—furniture, electronics, energy, buildings, food, data, content!
6.) What voices in sustainability, climate action and eco-culture, do you appreciate most? Why?
MB: Amanda McCarty, from @ClothesHorsePodcast. Her Austin-based podcast is fun but very educational and gives awesome insight into the fast fashion and cottage industries.
Sam Weir, lead stylist and founder of @Lotte.V1, has truly progressed our thinking when it comes to consumption habits. She used to be a celebrity stylist and now she’s using her skillset to help individuals get creative with their own closets. We’ve worked with her on a number of projects and anyone who was with us during our exploration of styling would definitely recognize her.
KW: I’m currently obsessed with @Clean_Creatives, a coalition of marketing, advertising and PR creatives who have taken a pledge to decline work from the fossil fuel industry and, in some cases, take a direct stand against it. They’re fighting the worst of the greenwashing Marcella was just talking about. One of my favorite things to remind people through GOOD girls ATX is that over 50% of the clothes produced globally are of synthetic materials aka FOSSIL FUELS.
7.) How do you nurture yourselves as creators? What does that look like on a daily or weekly basis?
MB: As creators, we’re constantly doing research on our own time to further our understanding of consumption psychology and textile innovation. Additionally, we’re both really into nurturing our own identities, whether that’s upcycling a wardrobe item, practicing yoga, riding bikes, hiking, camping, or just having conversation with like-minded individuals.
KW: We do spend a lot of time connecting to our bodies and nature. Entering a flow state lets our minds play and wander. It’s super normal for one of us to go on a solo bike ride and come back like “I just had the best idea for GOOD girls!”
8.) GOOD girls ATX in three emojis?
💚 green heart, 🤠 cowboy smiley, 💫 shooting stars
PS — You can also attend GOOD girls ATX’s Earth Day Upcycling Party at our headquarters.
On April 22, 2022, GOOD girls ATX is teaming up with Austin’s upcycling experts to throw an Earth Day Party that will nurture your creativity, your wardrobe, your community—and your home planet.
Hosted on the Future Front patio from 6:30 to 9 PM, drop by anytime to shop sustainably-made creations at the All Upcycled Pop-up Shop and help raise funds for others doing good in our community. With an advance ticket, you can also create one-of-a-kind pieces at the BYOGarment Upcycling Bar.
100% open-air and outdoors. Human-friendly. All are welcome. 👋
