It's no secret that I love a clothes swap. I've been an advocate of slow fashion for a good few years now and my own way of clothes shopping has evolved along the way as I'm learning. Although I love a good sustainable clothing brand (I mean, I do own one myself!) I'm way more into second hand shopping and clothes swapping these days (this is also partly to do with budget I'm sure!) I've been to a couple of different clothes swaps and would highly recommend them so thought I'd put together some tips on how you can make the most out of them!
Don't take too much // Most clothes swaps (if not all) will have a limit on how many items you are allowed to take (it's usually 20). The first one I went to I took my limit, but what I didn't consider was whether there would actually be 20 items I'd then want to take home with me! Luckily they run a system where you can carry over your tokens to next time, but I've still got lots to use! If it's your first time maybe start with just a few things so you can get in the swing of it.
Don't take things nobody will want // I set this rule for taking things to charity shops too; don't take anything that's in a condition that you wouldn't pick up! If everyone did that there wouldn't be much point in attending because there wouldn't be anything anyone would want. Nothing with holes, stains or that is just generally too worn to be useful to anyone. Things that are in that condition can be recycled instead.
Use them to experiment with your style // I often pick things up that I would never buy, maybe because I feel like it's a little too bold for me or that it simply wouldn't suit me, but a clothes swap is a great way of trying new styles out. If you decide against it, you can just take it back to swap again next time (something I have done multiple times now!).
Think outside the box // What else could you do with the clothes you pick up? My mum looks out for prints and fabrics that she could turn into something else like a different item of clothing, a scarf or a bag. You're not restricted to just using the clothes as clothes if you're creative! This is something I haven't done yet as I usually manage to pick up a lot of children’s clothes for my little boy, but it's something I'd definitely like to do.
Stick around // The whole point of a clothes swap is that there are people constantly turning up throughout the day and therefore a frequent rotation of stock. It's worth doing a few loops of the room rather than just looking round once. It's also worth keeping an eye on the stock coming in if you can; a hack I've learnt is watching out for people coming in with a similar style to me as there's a strong chance they'll have brought something I'll like.
Amy x
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