Who We Are
Swan City Retro was started because of a love of fashion, and a desire to do something to help our planet. We carefully curate our vintage and retro clothing finds with you in mind.
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We believe that we must all start being responsible for using our world's resources and some of the ways we can make a difference are by:
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Reducing the demands of fast fashion.
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Reducing the product and resource waste that ends up in our landfills.
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Minimizing our carbon footprint.
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Ending slave labor associated with fast fashion.
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You may have picked up on an underlying theme: We care about people! Better people make a better future; a better world.
So we also donate a portion of each and every sale to charity. When you purchase a piece from us, you’ll be giving back and helping us continue our mission of promoting ethical fashion!
Eco Conscious
Fast Fashion is a sped up version of the typical fashion cycle where clothing is made faster to meet consumer demands and keep up with the latest trends. Garments are produced faster, delivered faster, and typically have shorter shelf life than their traditional counterparts.
In today's market we have social media influencers who are photographed in a garment once and then don't want to be seen in the same outfit again publicly. Most feel like they cannot be "trendsetters" unless they are always wearing a new outfit. In order to meet all these fast-moving requirements, fast fashion garments are more often than not made cheaply in economically depressed countries for substandard wages or even using slave labor.
Charitable Contributions
A-21: Fights to abolish human injustice, particularly human trafficking.
The Gary Sinise Foundation The Avalon Network: provides ‘transformative care, treatment, and training’ to veterans and first responders who are experiencing post-traumatic stress or substance abuse.
The Plastic Ocean Project: is dedicated to finding science-based solutions to the global plastic pollution crisis and empowering all to make choices that improve human and environmental health.
Each of the charities chosen are very highly rated. They actually spend the most dollars on the charity, not on administration or board members. That means a lot to us because we can give confidently to our charities knowing we a making the most impact!
Fast Facts
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1 pair of jeans requires 2,000 gallons of water from seed to sale.
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20,000 liters of water to produce 1 t-shirt and 1 pair of jeans.
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3 out of 4 garments will end up in a landfill or incinerated.
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"The production of fast fashion is responsible for the production of 20% of global wastewater" - UNEP
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Americans buy twice as many items of clothing as they did 20 years ago." - Greenpeace
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68 pounds = The amount of clothing the average American discards each year which ends up in the landfills.
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It takes 80 + years for clothes to break down in landfills.
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"10% of global carbon emissions come from the fashion industry, which is more than shipping and aviation industries combined" - Ellen Macarthur Foundation​
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SkyFi's Satellite Image Confirms Massive Clothes Pile in Chile's Atacama Desert can be seen from space.
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In 1970, 75% of American's apparel was made in the USA. In 2013 only 2% was made in the USA.
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1 garbage truck full of clothes is burned or landfilled EVERY SECOND. That's enough to fill the Empire State Building one and a half times every day. This is also enough to fill the Sydney Harbor every day.
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98% of global workers receive LESS THAN A LIVING WAGE.
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There are over 260 million child laborers around the world.
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"80% of people who work in the garment industry are women; of these people, only 2% of them earn a living wage" - SavyAF.com
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Fashion industry production produces 10% of the world's emissions.
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In the past, the fashion industry forged 2 seasons per year; now there are as many as 52