Have you heard of a clothing swap? If you have not, it's basically an event where a group of people gets together to swap their clothes with each other. I have hosted and/or attended at least one of these every year for the past decade and it basically means I don't need to buy as many clothes year after year because chances are, someone else brought something to the swap I needed! It helps keep textiles out of landfills, it's fabulous and so much fun: win-win-win!
Clothing Swaps consist of a few basic steps:
- Grab a group together of about 6-10 people.
- Every person cleans out their closet, brings their gently used clothing, accessories and shoes that they don't wear or need (clothes must be in good shape).
- Every person takes what they need/want out of the piles of clothing. (the following part is optional, but it makes it more fun and gets people to really think twice if they need it). If more than one person wants it, it goes in a “battle” pile where each person that wants the item has to try it on and the group votes on who it looks better on or who has the best story of why they need it.
Clothing Swap themes:
- Spring Time: spring cleaning theme
- August: right before school starts for those back to school outfits if you work at a school (teachers, social workers, school administrator)
- October: right before the Holidays with a “Holiday Clothing Clothing Swap”. This could include Holiday Party dresses, Ugly Sweaters, Cocktail Party clothing.
Detailed Steps & Sample Wording
If you want to create your own clothing swaps, here are some basic steps, tips, and examples. You can tailor it to your own style, friends group, and preference.
- Talk to your friends/co-workers/family about it. See who is interested in participating. I have found that if you are doing a friends/co-workers/family clothing swap, 6-10 people is the optimal number of attendees. Less than that and there isn't enough variety of clothes and more than that, the event runs too long.
- Clean out your closet (and dresser) and put everything unwanted but gently used in bags or boxes. This includes clothes, purses, shoes, jewelry, workout clothes, etc. Feel free to bring stuff you think no one would want because sometimes its EXACTLY what someone else wanted.
- Sample wording:
- This is what I use in my email/text to basically say that I will be picking up the clothes the week before the event. In my personal experience, if I don't pick up the clothing a week before, attendees cancel at the last minute and you don't want that.
- SAMPLE WORDING: “Because we all lead very busy lives, I want to ensure you aren’t stressed and trying to find things at the last minute so I will be picking up your items the week BEFORE.”
- I try to give attendees a visual of what to expect the day of the event. I have three examples of how you can do your swap, choose the one that works best for your group:
- OPTION 1: Buy different color stickers or tape, a different color for every person. Every time a person likes an item, they put their sticker on it. If they are the only person that put a sticker on it at the end of the swap, it's theirs, if several people have put a sticker, it goes in the “battle” pile and all of the people interested in the item try it on in front of the group and the group votes on who it looks better on or who has the best story that explains WHY they need this item.
- SAMPLE WORDING: “I will be hanging and laying everything out. So the first hour or so upon arrival, it’ll be like shopping! You’ll be given stickers that have your name and if you see something you want, put a sticker on it. “
- SAMPLE WORDING: “If one person wants it, she automatically gets it. If no one wants it, the item goes into the charity pile. If more than one person wants it the item goes into the “voting” pile. After an hour or so of ’ shopping’, we go through the pile that more than one person is interested in and start battling for items. People try stuff on, vote on what looks good on other people and so on. I take care of organizing all the stuff to donate and arrange to have it picked up so you only have to haul your stuff one way and carry the things you want out”
- OPTION 2: Every attendee takes 5 things they like at a time, tries them on first and if they still want it, they get to keep it. If multiple people want to try on the same thing, it goes in the “battle” pile and all of the people that are interested in the item try it on in front of the group and the group votes on who it looks better on or who has the best story that explains WHY they need this item.
- OPTION 3: You all sit in a circle and everyone has their own bags of clothes next to them. Each person takes turns to showcase 1-5 items at a time. Maybe talks about the story behind those jeans or talks about the brand, size, etc. If someone shouts that they want it, they take it, if several people shout that they want it, it goes in the middle of the circle to “battle” out. This method takes a lot longer but fun to hear the stories and get to know everyone.
- OPTION 1: Buy different color stickers or tape, a different color for every person. Every time a person likes an item, they put their sticker on it. If they are the only person that put a sticker on it at the end of the swap, it's theirs, if several people have put a sticker, it goes in the “battle” pile and all of the people interested in the item try it on in front of the group and the group votes on who it looks better on or who has the best story that explains WHY they need this item.
- TIP: I would suggest having a few full-length mirrors for when you want to try something on. Just be aware that it usually works out with everyone changing in one room!
- SAMPLE WORDING: “DON'T WORRY about sizes. It’s nice to have different sizes so we all have a mix of items. You may not be the same clothing size as one person but you may have the same shoe size, or it may fit differently on someone else, or you like their accessories, etc.”
- SAMPLE WORDING: “VERY IMPORTANT: Please note that this swap is for gals that are truly interested in swapping clothes. If this is the first time you’ve joined and not ready to commit, feel free to stop by and see what it’s all about. If you know of someone else that would be interested, let me know!”
- This is what I use in my email/text to basically say that I will be picking up the clothes the week before the event. In my personal experience, if I don't pick up the clothing a week before, attendees cancel at the last minute and you don't want that.
Why should I have a clothing swap?
Since attending my first clothing swap, I have made it a point to reduce the number of clothes I buy and keep clothing out of landfills. The leftover items that don't get swapped get donated to local charities that are in need of clothing like shelters, textile recycling bins and women/men's non-profit professional charities such as Dress for Success.
Let me know if you have ever tried a clothing swap, and if you have, how did it turn out?
