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Swap instead of shop

Clothes swaps are a great way to refresh your wardrobe without having to buy new clothes, you just swap your items for others.

Here are some simple steps to follow to help you host a clothes swap

  • Choose a date - it might seem scary to put a date in the diary, but it really helps potential volunteers, attendees & supporters plan ahead.
  • Find a venue. There needs to be enough floor space for several clothes rails, tables for shoes and accessories and space for people to walk around. Try to choose a high footfall area which is easy for people to get to.
  • Make sure you have enough ‘staff/helpers’ to run the swap and to help publicise. Some ways to do this are; Create an event on Facebook and invite friends to attend. Display posters in newsagents, libraries, supermarkets etc. The more people see your event is happening, the more will attend.

We have a clothes swap kit available to borrow which consists of 3 metal clothes rails & 100 hangers (see below for more details). Some other things you may wish to have handy when you run a clothes swap are:

  • homemade signs to put up around/outside your venue promoting the clothes swap,
  • a board to display how many swaps have taken place (a great way to record your impact)
  • scissors,
  • tape,
  • cable ties
  • a small box of toys/books/colouring to help entertain any kids who come with a parent

Make sure you have a plan for any clothes you have left over - you could donate these to charity or take them to a textile back (these can be found at all 10 Household Recycling Centres) or if you plan on hosting regular clothes swaps it's a good idea to have somewhere to store any leftover clothes ready for the next swap.

Remember to focus on SWAPPING in any communication or promotion ahead of time, to encourage people to swap rather than just donate, which promotes a circular economy.  

 

 For more support or to organise hiring the kit FOC then email us here - please contact us at least 2 weeks in advance of your swap. Our clothes swap kit is kept at High Wycombe Household Recycling Centre. Please note the rails are in a bag (but it would need to 2 people to lift the bag) which will fit in a normal/hatchback size car with the rear seats put down.