Mix up your style for free at a clothing swap party.
What if, instead of filling garbage bags full of clothing to donate and then going shopping and buying new clothing, you threw a clothing swap party instead? A clothing swap party pushes back on fast fashion. It’s also a community effort, a way to get your friends together to share style tips and add to a pal’s closet instead of the landfill.
But before you send out that group text inviting all your closest friends and acquaintances over to shop your living room, consider the ways to make the event both fruitful and fun. Southern Living spoke with two home organization experts for top tips on hosting a successful clothing swap party. If you’re new to this type of event—similar to a Mary Kay or Tupperware party but minus the pressure to spend money or recruit others—you’ll no doubt find the below advice useful and inspiring.
Prepare Thoughtfully—And Manage Those RSVPs
As with any party, preparation is of paramount importance. Just as you wouldn’t host a holiday party or a potluck dinner without some pre-planning, you shouldn’t just tell your friends to deep clean their closets and come on over with the rejects.
Cara Palmer, a professional home organizer in West Virginia and founder of Organize Every Room, a company that helps individuals declutter and create stress-free, functional spaces, says the preparation step is crucial.
Palmer recommends sending out invitations and collecting RSVPs three weeks before the event. Then, she advises: “Send two key reminders: one when you receive the RSVP (with detailed guidelines about bringing 5-10 quality pieces, cleaned and in good condition) and another reminder three days before guests need to drop off their items for pre-sorting.”
This timeline, explains Palmer, “ensures hosts have enough time to properly categorize and organize everything the week before the event.”
Don’t Forget The Importance Of Good Lighting
Maria Anderson, an Atlanta-based organizing expert who consults for a UK storage and organization company, suggests setting up styling stations. “Give the people certain areas with mirrors, good lighting, and possibly even a local stylist to help guide them on how to style the pieces,” Anderson suggests.
Palmer recommends setting up spaces for different types of clothing and accessories in advance: a dining room table, folding tables, or even cleared bookshelves can create distinct sections for different types of clothing. Palmer suggests using simple printable signs to label each area to make it easy for guests to find what they want. “Most people already know what they want to add to their wardrobe, so the key is making browsing and trying things on easy,” she says. This will work best when the lighting is just right.
Partner With A Local Women’s Organization
To prevent the common issue of leftover items, Palmer advises hosts to partner with a local women’s organization before the event so there’s a plan in place to deal with items no one has claimed in the swap.
“Anything unclaimed can be immediately boxed and donated, ensuring the host doesn’t end up with more clutter than they started with,” Palmer says, adding that this strategy serves the larger community in a meaningful way. Everyone who attends gets a wardrobe refresh, and items that don’t get selected by guests of the clothing swap party can go to help others in need.
Initiate A Follow-up Outfit Challenge
The idea behind a clothing swap is to avoid buying new items and adding to the landfill in large part, but in order to help attendees make the most of the items they’ve gained from the clothing swap party, Anderson suggests a follow-up outfit challenge.
The organization guru says to have guests post their looks on social media platforms, and consider giving prizes for the most creative or stylish looks. This will further develop “a community around sustainable fashion,” Anderson says. It’s also an opportunity to get fun and creative. For example, you might do a “Master in Creative Use of Color,” or “Eco Trailblazer.” Maybe the winner brings a batch of cookies or a bottle of wine to the next event—or gets first dibs on clothing items at next year’s clothing swap get together.
