Swishing…Swap a Frock...Second Hand Swapping…Swapping Instead of Shopping…
Is This The Latest Way to Shop?...
Swishing is taking the UK by storm. Not since the post war years have we seen this trend pass through the stratosphere of shopping brilliance. FCaNK loves swishing…it's in our blood! Clothes swapping are a great way to detox and retox your wardrobe at the same time. It's always a great excuse to get together with a group of friends or like minded people and wile away the night drinking wine and trying on funky pre loved clothes! Alternatively, you can tuck yourself away with your trusty computer and swap to your heart's content.
It's a two way love thing. There is nothing better than picking up a great piece at a heavily discounted price. At the same time, there is a simple joy to be found in watching one of your pre loved items find a new home!
Let's talk the ways and wherefores of clothes swapping, whether it be at home, away from home or online.
At Home
At-home clothes swap parties
Everyone loves the buzz of shopping (I know that I do). The beauty of these get togethers is that you experience that same adrenaline rush that you get shopping on the high street. You just bypass that awful buyers remorse that may set in after a credit card workout at White City or The Kings Road.
Do it for charity
Clothes swap parties are a great way to raise money for charity. A lovely friend of mine regularly organises Chili and Wine nights for her child's charity. These entail friends and acquaintances getting together at a home to swap books and clothes. Everyone brings along books and any clothes that they no longer want or need. The organisers then price the clothes and accessories accordingly. The books usually sell for between £1-£2 each; the clothes for anywhere between 50p-£20. Maybe even higher if a truly beautiful piece is brought along. The aim of the night is to get people to spend, so reasonably priced items are advisable.
The chili and wine night that we organised had a £10 entry fee, which included the chili and wine. There was a great atmosphere as people chatted about the books and tried on clothes, shoes, belts etc. I picked up a fabulous child's silk flower girl's dress for £2. What a bargain and a welcome addition to the dress up box.
We all had a ball and raised £1500 in the process.
The Swishing website has taken this new in word and made it it's own. www.swishing.org is an offshoot of the Futerra organization. Swishing see themselves as contributing to the trend towards lowering consumption. The concept involves organizing your own swishing party and posting it on the swishing.org site.
The site also has a comprehensive list of up and coming swishing events around the country. The London Frock Exchange's (see below) next event is listed on the site.
At A Venue
The London Frock Exchange is a charitable clothes swapping organization. The idea for the exchange was thought up by a group of friends in early 2008. All proceeds go to the Alzheimer's Society. The concept involves ticket holders (that can be bought online through the site) bringing along at least 3 items of unwanted clothing to a designated venue on a particular day. Tickets are £10 and include a glass of champagne.
The VISA swap event is perhaps the best known clothes swap party in the UK. VISA describes the event as a "[c]lothing event to encourage sustainable fashion through ethical swapping activity…".
The public and celebrities are invited to drop off their cast offs at a drop off point and collect points on a swipe card for each item. The more Fur Coat the clothes, the more points earnt.
For two days (in 2008, it was held mid July), the doors are opened and the public can 'purchase' clothes with their special swipe cards. You can register at the site to be notified when the next VISA event is to be held.
Feather Duster is another clothing swap event held in London. The last one was held on 28 February 2009 at Chalk Farm. See the website http://www.myspace.com/hybirdproductions for more information.
Feather Duster describes itself as an eco friendly alternative to the throwaway fashion trend. People are invited to bring up to 10 items to swap to a nominated time and place. The venues tend to differ from event to event. Well loved high street and haute couture are welcome. Once inside the event, you can exchange your items for tokens, which you can then use to purchase new clothing! Simple and effective. The website shows some very happy campers trying on and purchasing some lovely items!
Another great service is Buy My Wardrobe. This is a smaller version of VISA Swap. The website describes their service as:
The organisers engage 'Wardrobe Mistresses' who donate their wardrobe to sell at the event. Wardrobe Mistresses are usually well known persons in the fashion industry. The public can also sell their items at the event provided they are fashionable enough.
You can then also purchase tickets to attend the selling event where you can buy fashionista's pre loved clothes. Tickets range from £5 to VIP £20. The VIP ticket entitles the holder to entry an hour earlier plus champagne. Tickets can be pre purchased or at the door.
Online
Clothes Swap websites. There are loads and loads of these with more coming online every week. Eco Chic: The Savvy Shoppers Guide to Ethical Fashion
What's Mine Is Yours is a site where you can buy and swap clothes. The company was formed in 2004 by Judy Berger. The site boasts that it is the original and first British swap site. The site offers a place to swap and to buy and sell items. The site also offers a place for new and upcoming designers to showcase their clothes. There is a free personal shopper section and a fashion focused magazine.
The site does not operate with a points system. It is a purely swapping site. You list an item that you would like to swap. You then clearly describe what your wish list is. This is what you are looking for by way of swap.
When you have successfully arranged to swap items with another person, you then arrange for your own postage and packing.
There is a section on the web site where you can rate your fellow swappers.
Buying and selling is much like EBay except that you don't have to pay! You can also have multiple photos! Again there is a policy of honesty with a star rating system for each buyer and seller. The site also enables you to set up a PayPal account to make it easier to transact.
Big Wardrobe is a site that I came across the other day whilst surfing the web. The concept involves people either swapping their clothes or turning their unwanted clothes into cash. It is free to register and free to list clothes on the site. The site has over 17000 members in 80 countries! Expansive!
It is a very user friendly site. You can search by gender, item, size, style or brand. It's a little like EBay in that you can view the seller's profile. Each seller is allocated a number of stars depending on how their customer service is.
Big Wardrobe is a welcome addition to the cyber space. They even have a link, "Why BW Rules" This link gives 12 reasons why we should all use Big Wardrobe. I will leave you to find it and read it. It is fun!
Covert Candy is another swap site that is aimed at the younger generation. It was launched in the UK in January 2009 and is planning to launch in the US soon.
It is based on the following formula. A community of founding members are created. They initially list and swap their items. The community is expanded through word of mouth, Twitter, Facebook and the like. No money exchanges hands. Rather, a swapped item earns a certain amount of credits which can then be used to purchase another item on the site.
After signing up to the community, a person finds and lists on the site any unwanted items in their wardrobe. A person then sees your item on the site and requests it. Once you decide that you want that person to have the item, you then send it to the person through the post. The seller then receives credits which they are free to use on the site to purchase other goods.
Posh Swaps is another site launched in April 2009. It's website states that it is a place to "swap, buy and sell second hand, vintage and recycled, restyled, reworked clothes, shoes and accessories both designer and high street and for men, women and children…"
It is free to register and list your items for swap or sell. The site also offers a very informative blog with up to the minute information about eco friendly fashion. The blog also provides useful links to upcoming clothes swapping and swishing events.
Swap a Frock? A smaller frock only web site has cropped up over the past year. At last count there are 30 dresses up for swap on the site. It is only small at the moment and stock is limited, but keep an eye on it. It could catch on.
The growth of swapping has been phenomenal this year, so do keep checking our site as more and more of these sites and organisations pop up. After all, it is the new in thing to do!
Happy Swapping or Swishing from the FCaNK team!!
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