How To Host A Clothing Swap

If you’ve never heard of a clothing swap, its just what it sounds like! Its essentially a get together where you and your friends and/or family swap items of clothing or accessories that you no longer wear or have use for.

It could be clothes you’ve outgrown or that simply don’t fit your style anymore, but are still in good condition or have to potential to be repurposed.

You can also host a swap for children’s clothing if you’re a part of any friend groups who have kids of different ages. Since kids grow out of their clothes so quickly, this is a great way to save money and avoid unnecessary textile waste.

Plan The Basics

Just like any other party or gathering, the first step is to put together a general plan of the event. What types of clothing you want people to bring, where will it be held, and who you want to invite are a few things to consider when planning.

Because clothing swaps aren’t meant to be super fancy or complicated, the planning process doesn’t need to be that rigorous, but getting things in order at the start will make everything else much easier.

Send Out Invitations

Since this is a less formal event, its not necessary (at least in my opinion) to send out physical copies of invitations. There are several different websites that you can use to make free e-invitations, or if you’re only inviting your close friends, you can simply ask them through a text.

Here’s some things to include:

• Types of clothes to bring
• Where and when it will be
• If you want to make it a potluck you can ask guests to bring a snack with them

An example invite that I made using Canva!

Organize The Venue

Whether you’re having it in your home or in a different space, having everything organized is key for keeping things running smoothly when people start going through the clothes.

If you have any clothing racks you can set them up for people to hang clothes up on, or you can put out bins to sort items into. Its helpful to decide beforehand where you want things to go, so that you can help guests lay out their clothes when they arrive.

Have A Successful Swap!

While the main point of the clothing swap is to exchange clothes and reduce waste, its also meant to be fun. Playing music while guests are looking through items and providing snacks makes it feel like more of a get together, rather than it just being an exchange.

The swap is a great way to introduce your friends and family to sustainability too! If they usually buy clothes new, it can provide them with an alternative that’s more eco-friendly.

Donate What’s Leftover From The Swap

Once everyone has left, you can gather all of the remaining items and drop them off at a donation center near you. Ideally there won’t be many clothes left over but it all depends on what people bring!

I hope this inspired you to have a clothing swap of your own, and if you use these tips to host one feel free to comment and tell me how it went. Thank you for reading, have a lovely day!

Advertisement