How to swap, not shop, in style

Trina Edwards, Anthea Ibell and Sarah Cragg all love clothes and shopping, but want to get the dopamine hit of a new wardrobe without draining their bank accounts.

Ibell runs her own sustainability education business as well as a Facebook page promoting second-hand shopping.

“I love the idea of being able to all come together and bring all of the things that you no longer need and just share them amongst your own community,” Ibell tells RNZ's Thrift podcast.

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A clothing swap does exactly as the name suggests - and they’re becoming more popular.

Ibell is a clothing swap veteran and believes the key to making a swap run smoothly is to creating a respectful environment and serving quality goods to the group.

“Nobody is barging in; all of the attendees are excited and happy to be there.”

For some, part of the appeal is not just that buzz that comes from getting something new but also knowing that their pre-loved clothes will go to a good home.

For Edwards, it’s the enjoyment she gets styling her friends.

“I do like helping other people to find things that will look good on them, and I'm quite good at that, and so I actually find quite a lot of joy in that side of it.”

Decluttering is also a motivation.

“This is the wrong place probably to admit it, but I'm a clothing hoarder,” she says.

“I have a very well-loved and well curated wardrobe from multiple decades.”

Here's what to think about to make a swap work well.

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Lay some ground rules: set limits early, who's coming and how many people are invited?

Lay items out or hang them up in categories such as dresses, pants and bags and the condition of the clothes is important - they should be freshly washed with no rips, holes or broken zips.

You should also provide a mirror, or several depending on how many people are attending, and a private space to try things on.

If more than one person really like the same item - It might fall to the host to mediate or even toss a coin.

Some swap parties set the number of items that each person can bring, and then they take the same number home.

Others use a system where guests get a token for every piece of clothing they bring. At some swaps you can also pick a number from a jar. The numbers determine who gets first dibs on the clothes.

Thought must be given to how to handle the leftover clothes - should they go to the op-shop or does the person who brought them takes them home?

If you're organising a swap, think about who will be attending. Swaps can be tailored to offer the kind of items that serve a real need, for example, children's clothing.

“Anybody with a kid knows that they grow out of stuff really quickly, and so being able to share stuff amongst friends and essentially the traditional hand me down thing is an awesome way to save quite a lot of money," Ibell says.

The swap doesn't need to be just clothes - you could do one before Christmas to get sustainable presents for your family, or have a theme if there are particular things people need - household items or sports equipment.