Clothes swaps are a fantastic way to revamp your wardrobe sustainably, reduce textile waste, and connect with your community. Here is your guide to planning and hosting a successful clothes swap.
Why Run a Clothes Swap?
- Refresh wardrobes without contributing to fast fashion.
- Promote sustainable fashion practices through clothing reuse and repair
- Encourage conversations about reducing textile waste and upcycling with your friends and community.
- They’re just a whole lot of fun!
Sort Out the Details
- Decide on the number of attendees based on your venue size.
- Choose a casual space, such as your lounge room if you are running a small swap with friends, or a larger venue with clothing racks, chairs, or tables if the event is open to the community.
- Recruit volunteers for setup, check-in, sorting items, and assisting during the event.
What can people bring?
Ask guests to bring gently used clothing items or accessories in good condition. We recommend limiting the number of items that people can bring to 10. This will help prevent you being overwhelmed by unclaimed items at the end. Adjust this limit based on venue size, helpers, and display resources.
Token System (Optional)
- You can keep it casual and allow people to take what they like without restriction, however for larger swaps we recommend that guests receive tokens for the number of items they bring.
- Tokens can be exchanged for the equivalent number of swapped items. Leftover tokens can be donated to others or used at future swaps.
- The token system is a wonderful way to encourage participants to make thoughtful choices about what they take home, avoiding the ‘grab-it-all’ vibe.
- Get creative with your tokens – you could use bread tags, or buttons!
Sorting and Displaying Items
- It may make it easier for participants if items are organised by size ranges or type (eg. tops, bottoms, shoes), and hung on clothing racks.
- Hang or drape items over chairs and tables for a more casual vibe.
Logistics
For every 10 participants swapping 10 items each, you will:
- Have up to 100 items
- Need 1-2 hanging racks, up to 100 coat hangers (mix of tops and bottoms – you can ask people to BYO!), a table for shoes, accessories, and any pants you don’t have hangers for. Or – just keep it simple with friends and have a pile in the middle of your loungeroom!
- For larger swaps ask for 1-2 helpers for every 10 participants to help set up and sort items.
Leftovers
You will need to have a plan for leftover items. Some suggestions include:
- Allow guests to take what they want after swapping finishes but before packing down.
- Sort into summer and winter stock. Donate the appropriate season to your chosen op shop. Store the other season until your next swap or when it’s appropriate to donate it, as op shops generally don’t have the capacity to sell out-of-season items.
Most importantly… Have Fun!
A clothes swap isn’t just about trading clothes—it’s about building connections and celebrating sustainability with your friends and community. So why not make it a party?
Invite your guests to bring along a plate of finger food to share and create a playlist of upbeat tunes to set the mood.
With great food, good vibes, and a shared love for sustainable fashion, your clothes swap will be more than just an event—it’ll be a memorable experience that inspires everyone to rethink their wardrobe and have fun while doing it!
