Some tips on getting the party started.
A couple months ago I hosted a fashion swap party for the first time and for those of you interested in creating a sustainable event with friends exchanging their chicest clothes here´s a little guide that might help.
1. Theme
First, think of a theme for your party… is Winter coming? Summer? Would you like your friends to show up with their vintage clothes? Make a theme before you start planning, this way things will be more clear along the way.
2. Do your research.
Google “Swap Party” and look for videos on Youtube. This way you´ll know what´s been done, what others recommend and what to expect. I saw a couple of videos and applied some of the things each one recommended.
Basically get inspired and apply the things you think will be fun. More than Mrs. gives some great tips, such as buying paper bags for each guest and some nice tissue to decorate after you´re done swapping. These details make the “swapping experience” more special and detailed, it makes you feel like you went to the mall, but you´re actually being a responsible and eco-friendly sustainable consumer! They also recommend adding colored pins to each garment friends bring, just cause it´s cute and makes the swapping more fun! As a host you´ll know the person who´s garments got swapped the most and how many clothes were swapped at the end!
3. Invite!
Create your event on social networks (Facebook) and start inviting friends. It could be a small party (at least have three friends there!) or a bigger one (invite 20 friends). Make sure that the people you invite will come with sizes and styles fit for everyone attending, this way no one will feel left out!
4. Food and Drinks
Plan ahead the food and drinks you´d like to serve. Or make it potluck and have everyone bring their special dish. I made homemade pizza with different toppings and fresh spring rolls because those two are my two favorite dishes which I just love to make and consider my specialty. I also made lemon squares for dessert. Wine is recommended. Try some rosé or chardonnay, make it fancy and chic.
5. Let your guests know what to bring and what to expect.
I made a flyer and added it on the party invite, this way your guests know the simple guidelines beforehand. Remind them that what you give is exactly what you get. No old worn-down clothes with holes, or stinky, dirty clothes. Tell them to bring clothes they haven´t worn in six months or more. Clothes that still have the tags on them. Things that they consider cool, chic, and in style. Garments that they haven´t worn because well… you bought it but then realized you didn´t like it, or the size does´t fit anymore. You want the party to be appealing for all and you want everyone to go with new things! Your guests should bring at least 3-4 garments and or accessories to swap.
6. Get everything ready.
Prepare where you want the clothes displayed and how. If in one side of the room you want the bottom garments and on the other side the tops, blouses and dresses. Think of how you´d want all the clothes displayed, just like in a boutique store!
Make a playlist to get everyone in the shopping spirit.
Buy your ingredients and party details. The bags, tags, pins, decorations… basically all the things you´d want your party to have and details that will make this experience more than just a “shopping spree”. At the end you´ll notice how this is a wonderful way to connect with friends, make new ones, chit chat as you swap and enjoy the evening renewing your wardrobe without spending one cent! It´s pretty exciting.
7. Explain the swapping dynamic.
Once everyone´s arrived, greet them with a glass of wine…. and then, have them sort out their clothes, color some pins and add them to each garment. Let them know where each category of clothes goes.
After you´ve catched up with what´s been going on in their lives, let them know how the swapping will work.
What I did was: fan a deck of cards, let each person pick one and the highest number goes first. This person would make a round, check out all the clothes and finally pick one garment or accessory. You draw the cards again, the highest card gets their round, and so on. Once everyone´s done a round without the pressure of other people wanting the same thing, then its time for everyone to swap at once. During this process its important to have your friends give you their opinion on what you´ve chosen or what you´d like to pick. Once you swap something, take off the pin and put it in a basket (as shown previously).
This is how I did it, but of course, you´ll know the best way to swap with friends and you can get different tips from blogs and vlogs!
8. Final touches for your swap.
When everyone is done swapping, offer to fold their clothes neatly and place them in paper bags with tissue paper. This is just something extra, especially if you have a sustainable fashion store like I do, where I like to promote sustainable ways of living. But these details are not necessary, you could have everyone bring their own shopping bags.
9. Donate un-swapped clothes
Let your guests know that all the clothes that end up not swapped will be donated. You probably know of a shelter, orphanage, hospital, or other social organization, charity that would love some pretty cool clothes. After the swap party gather these clothes and donate them!
Here´s a helpful planning list:
And that´s all folks! Hope these tips were helpful. Friends really enjoyed this swap party and I´m planning to do the next one pretty soon, the theme: Winter is here!
