Clothes swap

What is a clothes swap?

A clothing swap is a type of event where participants exchange their valued but no longer used clothing for clothing they will use. Clothing swaps are considered not only a good way to refill wardrobes, but also are considered an act of environmentalism.

How do I plan my clothes swap?

Pick a venue

If you are planning on hosting a private event with friends and family, then hosting at yours or a friend or family member’s home is a great place to start.

Alternatively, if you are looking to host a larger audience then contact local venues, such as community centres or local cafes, to see if they can host your event for free.

Top tip! If you can be flexible on the timing of your event, then most venues will be happy to host your event free of charge if it falls into their quiet business hours.

Date & Invitations

Pick a date and time that will give you plenty of time to plan. We suggest that you start getting the word out there six weeks in advance of your event date, to ensure a great turn out. 

• Hosting a private event - create your guest list of friends, family, neighbours and colleagues.
• Hosting a public event  -  get a plan in place for how you will be marketing your event, whilst thinking about how many people you want to attend. Use your social media platforms to promote your event and ask your friends to help spread the word. Ask your venue to put up a poster to help with promotion.

Top tip! Use our readymade invitation template and poster template

Make sure that people know the rules

It is important to explain exactly how the event works before people attend. Set an entry price, such as £5 or £10, and ask everyone to bring a minimum of e.g. 3 items. You then need to set a maximum number of items that a person can take home from the event, normally it would be the same as the minimum number of items.

Top tips!

Make sure you emphasise that clothes should be in a good condition.

Collect your donations either online before or during the event or take cash donations on the day.

Get organised!

Ask people to either drop their items to you the day before the event so you have a chance to set everything up in good time. Or if people want to bring items on the day then ask them to arrive an hour earlier.

Top tip! make sure that you have plenty of reusable bags to hand so that people have a way to carry their new clothes home.

Ideas for raising extra funds

• Short message - to help encourage extra donations  give a short message during the event on the work of Crohn’s & Colitis UK, include your connection to the cause if you are comfortable to do so.
• Additional items could be bought for a suggested £1 donation.
• Host a raffle on the night

Thank you!

Remember to send everyone that attended a big thank you letting them know the amount raised for Crohn’s & Colitis UK!