Published in The BANAR April 2024
Jenny Lawrence, BCA
There are many reasons to love a clothing swap. Aside from getting a free update to your wardrobe, it’s a fun, affordable way to reduce our consumption of fast fashion. But it doesn’t stop at clothes! Done well, swaps can make for a fun opportunity for friends & family members to connect AND give back to the community.
If you’ve ever thought about running a clothing swap, or if you’re looking for a sustainable way to update your wardrobe, keep reading! If you’ve attended one of the BCA Community Closet Events, you may have seen me there helping out. Aside from supporting these events, I’ve been running small clothing swaps at my workplaces and friends and family’s homes for almost 10 years now. I want to share what I’ve learned about running these smaller events with the hope of inspiring you to give them a try.
There are many advantages to running a swap with a smaller group of colleagues or friends. Shopping becomes more fun and less stimulating in smaller groups. At a swap, you get to share your style and clothes with folks you know, poach pieces from people whose style you admire, and take risks on pieces you wouldn’t normally buy. And when sharing clothing with a person they know, it may be easier for someone to part with favourite pieces they no longer wear or expensive outfits that never really brought them joy.
Throw in a few appetizers or a cheese board and you end up with a fun afternoon of shopping, chatting, and supporting each other to try new things. Your only question at the end is then – what do you do any remaining clothes?
You donate them to the BCA for our Community Closet Events, of course! If you hold an event and you have clothing leftover, contact us to see if there’s a Community Closet event coming soon.
You can find Clothing Swap ToolKit on the BCA website for those interested in learning more. This toolkit provides an outline of the basics you need in order to run an excellent clothing swap.
Have questions about clothing swaps? Reach out to me at jenny@blackburnhamlet.ca.