How to organise a clothes swap
how to organise a clothes swap
You have just experienced a You Hue colour analysis party, and you are now feeling heady with all this new-found colour knowledge & power. You are ready to organise a clothes swap with the people you had a colour party with! As it turns out, some of you were wearing colours that would look better on someone else in the group!
A clothes swap is a fun and sustainable way to refresh your wardrobe by exchanging clothing items with others. Do you want to run your own clothes swap with friends? Then here is a quick start guide on how you can do just that!
Organise a venue
Clothes swaps usually work better when done in person at a venue, rather than virtually (although this can work). The venue can be as large or as small as you want it to be. Factor in the number of attendees. If it’s just your close circle of ride-and-die friends, your living room would be perfect. If it’s for your WI Group or your entire concert orchestra, you may want to hire out a larger space at your local pub/library/the options are endless.
Determine your system of swapping
Before you excitedly declare to the world and your friends you are hosting a clothes swap, you need to nail down the rules/system of swapping to make sure all attendees understand ahead of the swap. A few tried and tested ways of swapping are:
The no-system system
The most straightforward kind! People bring unwanted items along and take what they want. It doesn’t matter how much they bring or how much they take. The aim is to redistribute unwanted clothes and if someone wants something, then they can have it!
Exchange system
Bring one item to swap, get one item back in return – simple!
Token systems
Larger, more organised swaps work well on a token system. So if people bought 5 items, they could get 5 tokens in return to collect another 5 items to take home. You could also ‘price’ more expensive things like denim, knit or coats to be 2 or 3 tokens instead of 1. This method ensures people leave with items of a similar quality to the ones they brought to swap.
Event Preparation
Now you have your venue and rules nailed down, it’s time to start your event preparation.
Invitations! Let everyone know the date, time and location of your swap. Posters, social media, a WhatsApp group are all good ways of advertising your event.
Clothing guidelines. Specify what types of items are acceptable, such as gently used clothing, shoes, accessories, and even kid’s or men’s clothing if applicable.
Condition of items. All items should be clean, in good condition and free from stains, rips or significant wear. (Unless the piece is SUPPOSED to be distressed!)
Item limits. Set a minimum and maximum number of items participants can bring to encourage a variety of options and manage the event’s scale! For example, a minimum of 5 items and a maximum of 20 items per person.
Quality check. Consider having a quality check station where items are reviewed before they are put on display to ensure they meet the events standards.
Environmental consideration. Encourage participants to bring reusable bags for carrying items!
No matter the size of your swap, the above should have you covered! I would love to hear from you and see photos of the clothes swaps that You Hue-iens have been organising! Email me at jill@youhue.co.uk or tag my on Facebook and Instagram @youhue.cc
martin village clothes swap- next date TBC
Do you have clothes stashed in the back of your dresser that you don’t wear anymore?
Would you like to update your style but don’t want to spend any money?
Do you simply want to practice being more sustainable?
Then a village clothes swap is just the ticket.
How to participate
You can bring up to 5 adult men’s or women’s garments. These garments need to be clean and in good repair (no holes or rips, unless that is part of the design!)
You drop off your clothes between 1100 – 1200 in Martin Village Hall. The team will be checking the clothes in and giving them a quick inspection to make sure they are clean and in good repair. Once the team are content they are wearable, the donators details will be taken and they will be given a ‘virtual’ token for each piece they check in.
From 1200 – 1300, the swap will be open! You can come back and start ‘shopping’ the clothes. Once you have found the clothes that are perfect for you, come back to the front desk, tell the team your name. They will look down the list to see how many tokens you have so you can redeem your new-to-you treasures!
In summary:
- Bring up to 5 pieces of clothing that are clean and in good repair
- Check in with your name
- Shop the clothes that are available
- Take your new-to-you garments to the front desk to redeem your virtual tokens!
Any clothes left after the swap will be donated to a charity shop.
Clothes Swap FAQs
Why can I only swap up to 5 items of clothing?
We don’t want to be flooded with your charity shop donations that havn’t made it yet! The Village Hall and my business do not have the storage space to hold onto a huge amount of clothes.
What happens to clothes that have been donated, but no one has taken?
Any garments that have not found a new home will be donated to a local charity shop.
How does the swapping work?
You hand in your (clean and in good repair) clothes you are happy to part with at the front desk. You will receive some virtual tokens. You will receive 1 token per 1 piece of clothing. Once the swap starts, you are welcomed back to peruse all the clothing that has been handed in. Once you find clothes that you love, bring them to the front desk and cash in your virtual tokens! Remember its 1 piece of clothing = 1 token (which equates to 1 piece of clothing!)
Is it just ladies clothing?
It doesnt have to be! Adult men and women are welcome to participate in the swap. The amount of ladies and mens clothing is something we cannot control, only encourage. It all depends on who gets involved on the day.