Savvy Swapping

My next post was going to be about organizing my closet. But it’s just going to have to wait because I want to share about the event I went to on the weekend. So I’m starting on my 10 month challenge with: Buy used and in this case, swapping. I had only heard about clothing swaps (aka clothing exchanges) in articles and books. The idea of it seems almost utopian: everybody brings clothing items that they no longer use and then swap them with each other. I always wondered how do you make it fair? Who would want MY unused bad clothing?

The first time I went to this clothing swap was three years ago when my friend Carmen invited me. When she told me about it, the first thing that came to my mind was, “Carmen and her friends have excellent taste! There’s bound to be some nice things there!”  But the thing that made this ‘swap’ different from the ones I had heard about is that she was doing it as a fundraiser. Three years ago, there was a famine in the Horn of Africa and the government of Canada was matching donations dollar per dollar. Carmen, being the passionate philanthropist she is, jumped on the bandwagon and somehow (don’t ask me how) came up with this idea. It was an instant hit. She raised $2800 and with the matching funds was able to donate to $5600 this cause. The next year people asked her to do the swap again, and so she did, and this time raised funds for something else. So this is how her ‘little project’ was born. I think it’s quite brilliant really, first, donations of gently used clothing are taken, then people come for the event and pay a donation to attend, then the swap consists of donations of $2, 5 or 10 per item or a bulk sum for a bag full. It is up to the individual what they want to give. The past two events took place at her house in the evening. Every single room of her home was packed with clothing and people trying on pieces wherever they could. It is not for the faint of heart, because things are not merchandised like in a conventional store and obviously there’s no size range. But for treasure hunters it is a dream come true. It is a similar feel as you would get going to a thrift store; it can be overwhelming because you may not find what you’re looking for or you may not even know what you’re looking for. So you must approach it in a different way than if you were at a mall store. You simply must be ‘open’. Open to find that jewel you didn’t know you needed, open to try something different and open to be pleasantly surprised when the something that didn’t look like much, became a new favourite piece once you tried it. Some of my ultimate faves came from the past two swaps. A work skirt that I absolutely adore and a basic spring/fall blazer. I also bought my daughter a spring raincoat that she loves.

So this time when Carmen asked me to be part of her team to help I couldn’t resist. Not only because it is an awesome event where you get to buy nice used clothing, but because there’s an underlying purpose: we are raising money to empower women. Oh and did I mention Carmen’s passion for social justice and fair causes is contagious. When I shared with her about all of the things that were inspiring me and how I felt I needed to make a change, all excitedly and encouragingly she said, “Why don’t you put something together and you can talk about it at the event?” So here we are, now I have a blog!

 This year “Fashion for Freedom” (as the event is now called) was moved from the inside of Carmen’s house to her beautiful yard. It hosted 75 women who enjoyed lovely refreshments and treats as they watched a fashion show put on with the same clothing available. How I ended up on the fashion show line up is simply beyond me. I am no model, but in a pinch, you become one! With the help of a team of very talented and generous women, clothes were sorted and hung onto borrowed racks which were arranged in the garden. A huge selection of shoes and handbags were also available as well as children’s wear. It turns out to be a wonderful afternoon of camaraderie and shopping all for the sake of a good cause. After the fashion show, shopping was open and three hours later $5100 had been raised and a bunch of women were sitting on a pool deck taking a well-deserved rest! This year 'the swap' raised funds for women and girls in Haiti and a special World Vision project for women in Congo. 

The hope for this event is that it will continue to grow and get bigger, but I think the best thing that comes out of it is that it inspires others to do similar things. I’ve talked to two friends since, who have mentioned it to their friends who are very excited to come to the next one or do something similar in their home town. How cool is that? You get a great ‘deal’ you have a fun afternoon with your friends and you’ve raised money for a good cause and hopefully you’ve inspired someone in the process. It’s a win, win situation.

What did I get this year? Well, I had to get the sweater that I modeled on the fashion show, because everyone said it was fabulous. But I also got two pairs of shoes and a couple of tops that so far have been a grand hit!