How to Host a Clothes Swap
This guide walks you through what a clothes swap is and how to host one in your community – an easy, fun way to bring people together, reduce waste and promote sustainable consumption.
What is a Clothes Swap?
Clothes swaps have become a popular way of ‘recycling’ clothing within a community or group of friends. They are formal or informal gatherings in which people contribute clothing that they no longer wear, are tired of or have grown out of and, in return, can choose from what others have brought along. Clothes swaps are a creative and affordable way to refresh one’s wardrobe!
They also play an important role in showcasing circular fashion by reducing demand for new clothing production and thus helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the manufacturing, transportation and retail process. Clothes swaps help to extend the lifespan of individual clothing pieces (and all the energy and water that went into making them). They are also great ways to bring a community together in a space conducive to speaking about sustainability in the clothing industry.
Why is sustainable clothing consumption important?
- Equivalent of 1 garbage truck of clothes is burned or dumped in landfill every second.
- About 60% of all materials used in fashion industry is made from plastic.
- Equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles of plastic microfibres enter the sea every year from clothes washing
- Clothing industry responsible for up to 10% of human carbon emissions, with estimates of it contributing 26% by 2050.
- About 93 billion cubic metres of water is used by the fashion industry each year; this is enough to meet the water needs of 5 million people.
Source: Geneva Environment Network. 2024. Environmental sustainability in the fashion industry.
Why is sustainable clothing consumption important?
- Equivalent of 1 garbage truck of clothes is burned or dumped in landfill every second.
- About 60% of all materials used in fashion industry is made from plastic.
- Equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles of plastic microfibres enter the sea every year from clothes washing
- Clothing industry responsible for up to 10% of human carbon emissions, with estimates of it contributing 26% by 2050.
- About 93 billion cubic metres of water is used by the fashion industry each year; this is enough to meet the water needs of 5 million people.
Source: Geneva Environment Network. 2024. Environmental sustainability in the fashion industry.
Planning a Clothes Swap
1) Know Why You Want to Do It
Having a clear purpose for the event makes other critical decisions (like location and size) easier. For organisations planning clothes swaps, reasons might include specifically wanting to create a space to talk about sustainable consumption, or to provide an opportunity for informal networking, or to bring the community together to build social capital through a fun event, or will you charge a fee of some kind to raise money for charity. Knowing why you want to do it makes it easier to design your marketing to attract the stakeholders that you want to attend.
2) Choose an Appropriate Date and Location
Once you know the purpose and who you want to attend, make sure that the date works. For example, having it in the day in the week could exclude those who work, having it in the early evening is likely to exclude mothers who are cooking meals for their families, having it on a Sunday might not appeal to religious people, etc. The date and time must work for most of the stakeholders that you want to attract. The location is also important – is it accessible to the stakeholder group? If transport is not a problem, is there enough secure parking? Is the site big enough for the number of people you want to attend? And is shaded or protected from the rain, in case the weather is unpredictable. Are their restrooms and enough spaces for people to sit if needed, particularly the elderly?
3) Design Clear Marking Material/Invitations
Make sure that you market the event in good time to allow people to go through their cupboards and clean and iron their clothes well in advance. The marketing material must include guidelines as to what can be swopped. For example, you might want to include shoes, hats and jewellery along with clothes. Clothes brought to the swap must always be clean and in good condition. You must decide a minimum or maximum number of items – normally 5 or 10 items. The swaps normally work as one person bringing for example three items can take up to three items. The marketing material/invitation should also be clear about whether there is a fee to participate or if swaps are free and explain how it will work.
4) Have a Clear System in Place
There are different ways to approach the clothes swap. Some organisations ask for the clothing to be dropped off a day before the clothes swap so that they can be inspected and arranged on rails timeously; others allows people to bring their clothes on the day and the organising team quickly sorts and puts the clothes out in the appropriate place. In addition, will the clothes swap open to everyone at the same time or will groups of people be let in at intervals; will people be able to browse the collection before the swap begins or only when it opens. A decision needs to be made about the exchange ‘currency’; for example, if someone brings three items, will they get three vouchers, which are then redeemed at the exit to the swap for the new selection of clothes.
5) Setting Up
You will need a few people to help you organise the set up of different areas of dresses, pants, jerseys, etc. Remember to leave enough space that a large group of people can easily see and move around the different sections. Some things to consider are whether people should bring their own hangers or whether you will supply them. If they bring their own, there needs to be a plan in place that they can take them back at the end of the swap. It is a good idea to have mirrors and some changing stations (these can be made with sheets to provide privacy). It is also a good idea to have the option of refreshments and/or food to add to the social atmosphere. One could even have a photo booth to capture the great finds made by participants.
6) Hosting the Swap
Create a good and organised atmosphere – music helps. It is important to create a great atmosphere above the actual swapping of clothes. Not everybody who participants will find something suitable to take home, which can leave them feeling disappointed. It is a good idea to make sure there is a range of sizes and to be specific about what kind of swap it is. For example, if someone brings children’s clothing and there is nothing to exchange for, they are not likely to come again. Generally, there are less men who participate in clothes swaps, and so those that come could go home unsatisfied.
Remember this is not just about the clothes, but about creating a space in which to have meaningful conversations to help shift consumption behaviour. Think about ways to do this that don’t take away from the fun of the event. Some ideas are to have guest speakers, posters with key statistics, show a documentary or invite or local clothing artisans to talk about the importance of supporting smaller and more sustainable businesses, or have someone experienced give a master class on sewing hacks to make clothes last longer.
What’s Next?
There is likely to be clothing left over when the swap finishes. You can donate these to a local charity – make sure that participants know that is the intention before they arrive. And keep the momentum going, you could make it a seasonal or annual event, or stay in touch with participants via email to keep the sustainable consumption conversation going!
Make sure that you share images and quotes from the day on social media and provide participants with a hashtag that they can share on their own posts, remembering to tag your organisation when they share.