Office Clothes Swaps: Why They’re Such A Good Idea

Clothes swaps are the way to go for any fashion-forward individuals who have as much concern for the content of their wallet and wardrobe, as they do for the world.

If you’re thinking about filling up a landfill-bound black sack with your discarded garments, think again because they could just as easily go to a friend/ colleague who’ll give them the love and attention they deserve.

You won’t find a more efficient way to embrace the phrase “out with the old, in with the new”. Not only do clothes swaps  allow you to get rid of the unwanted, but you also gain private access to the fabulous items that your glamorous colleagues don’t want/ fit into any more. As they say, “one woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure”!

Here’s how easy it is to arrange a clothes  swap in your office:

• Send out the invites at least a month in advance. This’ll give guests time to prepare and pick out the creme-de-la-creme of their cast-offs.
• Establish that only clean, top-quality items will be accepted. No ripped or dirty clothes allowed
• Participants should come with an extra bag to bring their new bits home in.
• Encourage people to bring handbags, jewellery, shoes and scarves, to avoid people feeling disheartened if there is a scant selection of clothes in their size on offer.
• Book a boardroom with ample space for displaying the goods. Clothes rails are preferable, and full length mirrors are a huge bonus.
• Is there a bathroom nearby? Hugely helpful for trying on new finds.
• People will undoubtedly leave things till the last minute, but try to get your colleagues to bring in their clothes in advance so you can get a head start at organising and displaying the clothes before the swap kicks-off.
• Give participants a ticket for every piece of clothing they bring (with a cut-off point at four or five pieces), which they can exchange for their new finds.
• It’s a nice (and frequently implemented) idea to put a token charge in place in an effort to raise money for a chosen charity. €3-5 entry is the norm.
• Ask people to take away anything they bring which is left over after the event.

Main photo by Shanna Camilleri on Unsplash