The Mesh - Lisa Gansky [65]
Read It Swap It: Book swap. Members find a book they’d like to swap for, and contact the person who listed it. Both parties must be willing to swap.
http://www.readitswapit.co.uk
Saskatoon Writers’ Coop: Community of creative writers.
http://www.writerscoop.org
Text4Swap: Book-for-book swapping system for students to exchange used textbooks.
http://www.text4swap.com
The Montague Bookmill: Used bookstore north of Amherst, Massachusetts.
http://www.montaguebookmill.com
CLOTHING SWAP
Clothing-centered Mesh businesses make it fun and easy to refresh an outdated wardrobe without purchasing new clothing. They host fun clothes swaps or make it easy to exchange duds through online platforms for small membership fees. Some offer designer clothing rentals, while others provide online platforms for fashion-loving communities to design and create “new” clothes made from recycled materials.
Fashion-conscious women may continue to go gaga over the latest styles, but many are gaining an awareness of the inevitable environmental toll of buying new clothing. So what’s a girl to do? The London-based company Swishing has an answer: “Rustle clothes from friends.” Women are now throwing Swishing parties across the globe—in the U.K., China, South Africa, Brazil, and the United States—to trade gently used, fashionable clothing. All attendees bring at least one article of clothing and take what they like once the swish opens. You can also throw your own Swishing party by visiting the Web site, registering, and adding an event. For the trend spotters among us: Swishing is the new pink.
Exuve: Members submit clothing designs to be reviewed by others. The highest-rated garments become available to purchase in the online boutique.
http://www.exuve.com
Golden Hook: Customers design their own hats and then choose the grandmothers they want to knit them.
http://www.goldenhook.fr
iSwish: Clothing, accessory, and shoe swaps.
http://www.iswish.co.nz
ModCloth: Consumers become virtual fashion buyers and help ModCloth choose which clothing designs get created.
http://www.modcloth.com
Rehash: Community of clothing traders.
http://www.rehashclothes.com
Rent the Runway: Designer clothing rentals.
http://www.renttherunway.com
Restyle Me: Style advice Web site where users rate other people’s styles.
http://www.restyleme.com
Swap and the City: Coordinates clothing swap parties in Amsterdam.
http://www.swapandthecity.com
Swap-O-Rama-Rama: Clothing swaps and DIY workshops that teach people to reuse old clothing.
http://www.swaporamarama.org
Swishing: Clothing swap parties.
http://www.swishing.com
Threadless: Community-centered apparel store that allows members to submit T-shirt designs online. The designs are put to a public vote, and a small percentage are selected for printing and retail.
http://www.threadless.com
CO-OPS AND GENERAL COMMUNITY
Mesh businesses build communities by uniting individuals who share common interests. Using information technology, they organize social networks and create opportunities for collaboration. These community-centered businesses support groups of all stripes, including moms, foodies, dairy farmers, babysitters, college kids, consumers, auto enthusiasts, and more.
Every day, a Chicago-based company called Groupon features a deal on the best stuff to eat, see, do, and buy in cities across the United States. Its strategy: collective buying power. By leveraging the power of group purchasing and promising businesses a minimum number of customers, Groupon can offer discounts on popular goods and services. To purchase a deal, members click the “buy” button before the offer ends at midnight. If the minimum number of people sign up, Groupon will charge your card and send a link to your Groupon. No one will be charged if the minimum required number of buyers is not met.
Babysitting Cooperatives: Community of families that take turns babysitting.
http://www.nncc.org/Choose.Quality.Care/qual.sitter.coop.html