See how clothing swap trend promotes sustainable fashion
USA TODAY’s Betty Lin-Fisher and her daughter stopped by a free clothing swap to get their hands of beautiful second hand pieces.
Want to learn how to take clothes you’re done wearing from your closets and drawers and refresh your wardrobe – all for free?
Let me tell you about the concept of “clothing swaps” – where you bring clothes that are still in good shape, but you’re just done with, and other people do the same. Then you get to “shop” at the gathering for new treasures.
The concept of swaps have been around for a long time: think of bartering or just trading clothes with a friend. But the idea of organized swaps is growing in popularity as more people are embracing sustainability, thrifting and frugality. More Americans are also trying to stretch their dollars as they deal with inflation and rising costs.
There are different kinds of clothing swaps (or even swaps of items like housewares) – you can plan one just with a group of your friends or participate in a larger swap organized by someone in your community.
Here is how I got ‘new to me’ clothing
Recently, I gathered 16 pieces of clothing that I was no longer using and went to a clothing swap in my community of Akron, Ohio. I left the swap with 23 pieces of clothing, but ended up with 26 new pieces for my wardrobe after I got home. That’s thanks to my adult daughter who came with me since I liked a few of her cast-offs.
I have been a fan of garage sales and thrifting since before it was “trendy.” My two kids grew up tagging along with me and continue to enjoy them as young adults. It has become a full family activity now that I got my husband hooked in recent years and now we’ve also added estate sales.
I’m a veteran of clothing swaps as well, participating in several since 2020, and I love them. I was happy to have my 26-year-old daughter, Becca, join me recently when she was visiting from out of town.
It was an amazing experience for both of us, not just because we got the chance to bond over “new to us” clothes, but because it embraced our beliefs in reducing waste by giving our discarded clothes a new life with someone else.
“I like clothing swaps because I know that my clothes that I’m giving are most likely going to go to someone who actually wants them,” Becca said, “rather than if I donate them to a big thrift store, they might just get put in a bag and sent somewhere else.”
While at the local swap, I overheard a conversation between two women about a beautiful vintage quilted jacket. One commented how wonderful the other looked in the jacket, which she happened to have brought to the swap.
Of course, I interviewed them to learn about the full-circle moment. More on that later.
Our best finds
Becca’s best find was a cute dress that was new with tags. She didn’t know anything about the brand until she got home and found a similar pattern of the Reformation brand dress being sold on the store’s website for $218. So it’s an understatement to say it was a great find.
Altogether, she brought 12 items, left with 13 items and ultimately kept 10 – giving the other three items to me.
Typically at the swaps, you take as many items as you bring, but since the swaps we’ve attended always have so many clothes left over, we’re encouraged to take as much as we want toward the end of the event and the rest is donated to charity.
That is usually when I put something in my bag that I may not otherwise try.
I love so many of the things that I got at the swap. But I’d say a cute purple and white striped Old Navy pantsuit was my favorite. Other things in my haul included five new-to-me leggings, a sweater, two pairs of jeans, three dresses, a t-shirt and shorts. There were also the three things that Becca picked out that she decided she didn’t like, but worked for me.
You often have to guess if something will look good because there’s usually no room or time to try things. But it’s fun to chat with people about what they’re looking for, hand complete strangers items they might like, and then model your finds once you get home.
How I learned about clothing swaps
But let me back up and explain how I ended up at this recent event. I first met Lauren Anderson, 40, who organized the swap I attended, in 2014 when she was the owner of an Akron clothing boutique. I was a reporter and consumer columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal, a USA TODAY Network paper, for more than 28 years before coming to USA TODAY in late 2023.
We reconnected in 2020, when I attended my very first clothing swap that she organized.
When Anderson owned her boutique, which originally featured only new clothes, she “started to feel more passionate about having second-hand clothing,” especially as she noticed the declining quality of many new items.
Anderson hosted her first clothing swap in 2018. She now tries to host a women’s clothing swap once a season and often partners with local friends who let her use their venue space for free.
Clothing swaps have grown in popularity
Anderson has seen clothing swaps around the country grow in popularity, particularly as more people embrace sustainability and thrifting. The idea of thrifting and swapping for clothes is also less taboo now and people from all socio-economic budgets participate, she said.
Some clothing swaps charge for “tickets” and some organizers charge to help compensate them for logistics.
Anderson has experimented by limiting her community swaps and finds that 40 is a good number. But she always has kept the swap a free event.
“The point is to get people familiar with the idea of not always having to purchase new and to find some things that you really really like,” she said.
To look for a clothing swap near you, search on social media or try an Internet search.
Bonding with my daughter and ‘shopping’ a clothing swap
My daughter, Becca, and I have always enjoyed thrifting together, so I was excited when I could include her in my clothing swap passion.
She likes the sustainability aspect and worries about spending too much money on clothes she may not want in a few years. She doesn’t want to “buy into too much fast fashion stuff or contribute to more clothes just going to the landfill.”
She has also tried to find clothing swaps near where she lives, but hasn’t found the right one. A recent one was exclusively marketed to Gen Z and though Becca is of that generation, she wasn’t sure the swap was right for her.
“Some people make clothing swaps sound a little bit more intimidating, like maybe the stuff that I want to bring won’t be good enough,” Becca said.
She likes the swaps we have gone to because participants have been of various ages and looking for different clothing styles.
Jacket gets a new life
An extra bonus for me at this recent swap was witnessing the full-circle moment when one woman was trying on a beautiful quilted jacket and another woman said she brought it.
Annette Rizopulos, 83, of Akron, was invited to attend her first swap by her daughter-in-law. The jacket she tried on (and kept) was once owned by the late great-aunt of 31-year-old Mallory Pilz, also of Akron.
Pilz told Rizopulos that she was gifted the jacket by her great aunt when Pilz and her family were helping her purge her wardrobe.
Rizopulos said she picked the jacket up to try since her sister had a similar jacket that she bought brand new.
“I thought maybe I’ll doctor this up a little bit to make it a little more funky looking,” Rizopulos told me. She said she loved giving the quilted jacket a new home. “I’m totally a recycler in every aspect of my life.”
Pilz said she’d worn the jacket for about five to six years and it was time for someone else to love it.
“When it doesn’t work for you, it works perfectly for somebody else,” Pilz said.
How do you host a clothing swap?
Here are tips from Anderson on hosting a swap:
- The host sets the tone. If you’re hosting a larger swap, set a limit on how many items guests can bring. Otherwise, it can become a lot of work (unless you have plenty of dedicated helpers).
- You set the rules. At a larger swap, Anderson slows down the process by letting everyone choose: One item during the first 5 minutes, two items the second 5 minutes and after that, guests can take as many items as they brought. If people stick around after, Anderson says they are welcome to take more. “This slows things down at the beginning and gives everyone an opportunity to find something really great. Then it’s a free-for-all.” With a smaller swap, she is more laid-back about time limits or people can lay out their clothes and start swapping without following a protocol.
- Be specific about what to bring and what not to bring. Anderson said you can get creative and choose a theme (vintage only, activewear, holiday, etc.). Anderson doesn’t usually have a theme, but asks people not to bring: Items with stains (especially in the underarm area)Worn-out or ripped clothingSocks or pantyhoseAnything you wouldn’t give to a friend
- Make sure to donate any remaining items after the swap so nothing goes to waste.
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher and @blinfisher.bsky.social on Bluesky. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, which breaks down complex consumer and financial news. Subscribe here.