The benefits to hosting a clothing swap are numerous: You get to offload old clothes, acquire new ones, hang out with your pals, and help the planet. It’s the perfect event. I went to a clothing swap over the weekend and it was the best day of my life, and I’m barely kidding!
It’s no secret that the majority of clothing end up in landfills. Hosting a clothing swap or attending one helps lessen that number just a bit – your old clothes can land in someone else’s closet instead of further littering our earth. That alone is reason enough to participate in one, but swaps are also really fun.
Here’s how it works:
📫 Invite a Bunch a Friends Over.
First you’ll want to send an invite to as many friends as possible. Tell your invitees to bring a friend, too. More people means more shopping. 😉 Bonus points if you or your friends have a backyard to use. Make sure your guests bring a towel or sheet to lay their loot out on for easy viewing.
🍕 Make the Swap a Party With Food and Music.
Ask your guests to bring a snack or drink to share. This way, you can catch up or meet new people over light bites and beverages in between swapping. Put on a fun playlist, too! Our friend who moonlights as a DJ made sure we had a nice shopping soundtrack.
🛍️ Shop!
The best part of the swap is the actual shopping part, if you ask me. Guests take what they want! The best part of doing this with friends is that it was all free. Some swaps hosted around town require an attendance fee, which is fine, but free clothes are the best!
♻️ Find a Good Spot To Take Your Swap Leftovers.
Inevitably, some clothes won’t find new homes. That’s OK! Austin has many places that actually need clothing donations. Heartening, a $3 clothing warehouse in North Austin, has a web page with a list of organizations and what they are looking for. You could also take your donations to a local thrift store like one of the Austin Pets Alive! locations.
👋 Happy shopping!
