About
A swap format, scaled into a civic practice.
Global Fashion Exchange is a consultancy and cultural producer rooted in clothing swaps. We design the concept, convene the partners and deliver the activation.
Founded by Patrick Duffy. Recorded as a partnership against UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 on responsible consumption and production.
“The most sustainable piece of fashion is already in our wardrobes.”
GFX began with a single swap and a simple premise: extend the life of what already exists, and make doing so social, stylish and public. That premise has since been delivered as public activations, campaigns, education programmes and toolkits used by governments, institutions and global brands.
Our work sits between culture and civic life. A swap can activate an empty high street, give a museum a participatory format, or turn a conference into something a resident can actually join. The format is consistent; the programme around it never is.
We work with organisations ready to change something — not to license a logo onto an event. Where a partner needs something we're not the right fit for, we say so.

GFX clothing swap · V&A, London · 1 July 2018 · Photo: Bronac McNeill
01
Concept
A format designed for a specific place, audience and outcome — not a package applied to a city.
02
Partnership
GFX convenes the local and institutional partners who make the programme credible and deliverable.
03
Activation
Production, storytelling and an impact record written so a partner can publish it.
Network
Who we work with.
Selected partners and collaborators from GFX's published partnership record and from the projects in our archive.
- Fashion Revolution
- DowntownDC BID
- Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District
- Istituto Marangoni Dubai
- Saudi Fashion Commission / Fashion Futures
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- West London Waste Authority
- Bryant Park
- Moda Lisboa
- Lagos Fashion Week
- Dakar Fashion Week
- British Fashion Council
- Eco Age
- Earth Day Initiative
- Peace Boat
- Common Objective
- IRK Magazine
- Rio Ethical Fashion
People
Patrick Duffy
Founder
Cultural strategist, editor and partnerships lead working across sustainability, design, media and travel. Founded GFX and leads its programmes and partnerships.
Patrick's creative workMark Haver
Co-founder, Global Fashion Exchange Youth Program
Founded and runs GFXYP, which initiates and facilitates clothing swaps in schools and youth settings.
This site
GFX partnerships
City programmes, brand and institutional collaborations, education and cultural events delivered by Global Fashion Exchange.
Separate offering
Patrick Duffy's practice
Editorial and content creation, creative direction, hospitality and destination storytelling, and cultural programming — commissioned independently of GFX.
Note on dates. This site uses 2011 as the founding year. Some published sources, including a UN SDG partnership record and later press coverage, cite other dates.
