The Loop, Liverpool's first permanent clothes swap shop, has marked its first year in business despite founder Jess Rose's early doubts that it would last more than a few months.
The shop operates inside the Red Brick Market in the Baltic Triangle. Instead of buying clothes, customers swap items from their existing wardrobes for new additions. While pop-up clothes swaps can be found across the city, The Loop is Liverpool's first permanent swapping space.
Born from a Stand Against Fast Fashion
The shop was created as an antidote to fast fashion, partly inspired by Jess's experiences living in the Philippines eight years ago, where she says the reality of the fashion industry hit home. Jess, who grew up in Scotland and had moved away to work in the humanitarian sector, said: "I've never liked fast fashion and I had it in my head that I wanted to do something about it."
After carrying the idea for years, Jess decided to open the swap shop in September 2025 after moving back to her birthplace of Liverpool and spotting an available space at Red Brick Market.
How the Token System Works
The Loop operates on a simple token system. Customers bring in their items on a Saturday, which are exchanged for stamps - "like a coffee shop loyalty card," Jess explains. They pay a £5 service fee per five items and are then free to use their stamps any day of the week to pick out an equivalent number of new-to-them items.
Nothing in the shop is bought first hand, and every piece on the rails comes directly from local swappers. To get the ball rolling at the start, Jess drew on her own closet alongside donations from friends.
Community and Future Plans
Speaking on the importance of community swapping, Jess said: "We have gotten out of the habit of mending or lending clothes. We see everything as throwaway." She pointed out that "not everyone has friends to swap with."
Despite having always disliked fast fashion and its environmental damage, Jess admits she has previously felt the pressure to keep up with trends, even getting herself into debt in the past. She hopes the shop benefits customers' wallets as much as it helps the planet. Jess said: "With Liverpool being a student city, I want to show people they don't need to get into debt to look cool. You can get a new outfit here for five quid."
While the business is thriving, Jess remains the only person running a permanent swap space in the city - a success she puts down to being willing to take a risk and test the market. Looking to the future, she hopes to eventually move into her own dedicated shop premises and expand the brand to other northern cities, including Manchester, York, and Leeds.
While she still works a full-time job in Liverpool alongside running the shop, Jess remains amazed by how far it has come. She said: "I thought I would be open a month or two and have to close. The community is really good, and people come in again and again. Some girls bring in 30 items at a time and leave with a whole new wardrobe."
