SWAP SOCIETY
Founder + CEO · 2016–2025
Nicole Robertson founded and built Swap Society from concept to national circular fashion platform, creating a more accessible and scalable way to extend the life of clothing. Built around SwapCoin™, a proprietary valuation model for secondhand garments, Swap Society became a recognized voice in sustainable fashion through strategic partnerships with Fashion Revolution, Remake, Global Fashion Exchange, and Fair Trade LA, as well as national media coverage in Fast Company, Forbes, WWD, NBC, and more. Nicole also hosted The Swap Society Podcast, featuring conversations on fashion, climate, labor, and culture. Swap Society used its platform to support garment worker rights, including advocacy for the FABRIC Act and organizations such as the Garment Worker Center.
MEDIA + COMMUNICATIONS
“We believe that the people who make our clothes deserve dignity, safe working conditions—and fair pay.” —Nicole Robertson, WWD
Swap Society earned coverage across sustainable fashion, lifestyle, and business media including Fast Company, WWD, Forbes, The Spruce, The Zoe Report, No Kill Magazine, Green Living Magazine, Newsday, Red Tricycle, The Everygirl, Brit + Co, and California Apparel News, among others. Nicole served as the primary media voice for the brand, consistently positioning Swap Society as a leader in circular fashion and a credible alternative to fast fashion consumption.
When California’s Garment Worker Protection Act passed, WWD turned to Nicole as a business voice on the legislation. Swap Society had signed on as a brand endorser to the bill, and her words captured the company’s position plainly.
PARTNERSHIPS, SPEAKING + EVENTS
Swap Society was built as part of the sustainable fashion movement, not just adjacent to it. Key organizational partnerships included Fashion Revolution, Remake, Global Fashion Exchange, and Fair Trade LA—relationships that shaped the platform’s values and extended its reach into the communities that cared most about circular fashion.
Those partnerships took shape as real-world events. Nicole produced and hosted the Global Swap Event Los Angeles during Fashion Revolution Week, in partnership with Fashion Revolution USA and Global Fashion Exchange, bringing together filmmakers, activists, founders, and consumers for panel discussions, film screenings, and a live clothing swap. She partnered with Global Fashion Exchange to host clothing swaps at ReMode Los Angeles, the premier global event for sustainable fashion, and at the Fair Trade Fashion Show. Community swaps and fair trade pop-ups co-hosted with the NYC Fair Trade Coalition, Fair Trade LA, and Fair Trade Long Beach brought the mission to local audiences.
As a speaker, Nicole joined industry leaders at the Sustainable Fashion Forum alongside representatives from Google Cloud, Levi’s, and Remake; spoke on circular fashion solutions at Fashion Revolution Week alongside founders from Christy Dawn and Atelier & Repairs; and appeared on panels hosted by the Women in Retail Leadership Circle, MADE by DWC, and others.
Brand partnerships extended the platform’s reach to mainstream audiences, including a national campaign with OxiClean featuring celebrity stylist Maeve Reilly that generated 700M+ PR impressions.
THE SWAP SOCIETY PODCAST
The Swap Society Podcast featured thought-provoking conversations on sustainable fashion, climate action, circular economy, and cultural change. From grassroots organizers to scientists, policymakers to activists, Nicole interviewed changemakers shaping a more ethical and equitable future — bringing together voices from across the environmental and social justice movements.
Notable guests included Gary Anderson, designer of the recycling symbol; Dr. Lisa Erdle of the 5 Gyres Institute; Clare Richardson of Extinction Rebellion Fashion Action; climate activist Nalleli Cobo; Dr. Joanne Brasch on California’s SB 707; and Nayantara Banerjee of the Garment Worker Center on the FABRIC Act.
INTERVIEWS
Nicole was a frequent guest on podcasts and programs covering sustainable fashion, circular economy, and conscious consumption.