Sherif Barakat

Sherif Barakat was on the road somewhere between Romania and Bulgaria, when it hit him. He had been on a four-month road trip around Eastern Europe between the first and second COVID-19-waves in the summer of 2020, along with his 6-month pregnant wife and little daughter. They were expecting a baby boy. 

His mind wandered to the boxes back home, where pink dresses and unicorn onesies, once proudly worn by his daughter, are wasting away because she had grown out of them in a matter of what seemed like seconds, but actually were a few months. The intention to pass these clothing items on to his second child was there, but in reality, the clothes were not suitable for a baby boy. “I’ve lived the problem first-hand, and so I knew it inside out,” he says. 

Coming to think of it, new baby clothes were expensive – and in the wake of a pandemic, Barakat thought it wise to be mindful of what he spends his money on. And spending it on clothing items that will be obsolete for his family in a few months was simply not in line with making smart financial decisions. 

And unused apparel has a horrendous impact on the environment. Plastics are responsible for 6% of CO2 emissions, while the textile is responsible for 10%. Textiles also produce 20% of wastewater around the world – put into perspective, this means that every pair of jeans uses up to 8,000 litres of water in its production cycle. 

Hence, finding other people who would buy the clothes his daughter had outgrown, would help Sherif threefold: It would save him space and money, while also breathing new life into textiles that would be an additional burden on our planet. 

And so, in the midst of a lively conversation with his wife on that highway, a light-bulb went off in Sherif’s head: What if there was a platform that allows parents to exchange their outgrown baby clothing items for items that other families don’t need anymore? And while at it, why not add children’s books, toys, and equipment, all of which have short, but useful lives? Thus, Swaplanet was born. 

Along with his cofounders Helena Stamou and Jimmy Nicolaides, Sherif launched Swaplanet in 2021, allowing parents in Greece to swap, pass on and sell the clothes that their babies and children have outgrown, reducing the carbon footprint of households by eliminating textile waste and increasing access to good quality clothing. “Our role starts from the moment a human is born, creating positive habits that will accompany them throughout their lives,” Sherif explains.

Today, Swaplanet received 100,000 pieces of clothing from 2,000 parents in Greece, of which 50% were accepted, and a third were resold. Some 60% of customers have even made a second order. In March 2022, the company expanded to swapping books, with great success. In 2026 alone, the company aims to save 15 million kg of CO2, equivalent to 800,000 trees, and 2.6 billion liters of water, which amounts to about 240,000 households. 

Part of what led to Swaplanet’s success is its emergence amidst a period of economic uncertainty. The world was trying to move on from COVID-19, as e-commerce started booming, only to be met with rising inflation and a looming recession. People the world over were starting to become more responsible in the way they spent their money. “Swaplanet serves those suffering from the global cost of living crisis, by providing high-quality clothing items in exchange for items households already own, but don’t necessarily need anymore,” Non-Executive Chairman of Acasia Group Hossam Allam says. “Additionally, reused clothing is the fastest growing sub-segment in fashion, which is already a fast-growing industry.”

But what really defines success for Swaplanet? “One of our customers told us that using our platform made her much more conscious about her consumption patterns and shopping habits. And realizing that we could actually initiate behavioral change in a tangible manner is everything,” Sherif concludes.