Clothing swaps offer a free alternative to increasingly pricey thrift stores and secondhand boutiques.
During a clothing swap, people bring clothes they wish to get rid of. They can then “shop” for “new” threads among the clothes brought in by others looking to do the same. Clothing swaps can be held with a small group of friends or on a larger scale, as an event open to the public.
The Winchester Tavern in Lakewood is hosting a Cleveland Clothing Swap for the first time on Sunday, Aug. 24. Any clothing not swapped will be donated.
Event organizer Mitva Shah spoke with Signal Cleveland about clothing swaps — what they are, how they work, and what inspired her to bring the idea to Cleveland.
How does a clothing swap work?
A clothing swap is basically thrifting but in a free, more eco-friendly way. People bring their unwanted clothes, whether it’s stuff you just realize you don’t wear very often or you’ve gotten your use out of, rather than donating it to for-profit donation centers. You bring the items to a communal area, and everyone gets to shop from other peoples’ clothes.
Every clothing swap is a little bit different. But you’re not manning a station or anything like that.
Where did your idea to do a clothing swap come from?
My younger sister attends them, and in New York City [where Mitva’s family is from], they do them very frequently. This is something I’ve talked about doing for a year now, but I was too scared to do it.
But in May when I went to visit her, we ended up going to a clothing swap. My sister couldn’t stay at the event, which ended up being a blessing in disguise. She left, and I ended up staying and just kind of sitting on the bench watching everything happen and observing the whole process. I saw they were shorthanded on volunteers, so I ended up working the event with them and having so much fun! I got to help people find things, organize it, and it really gave me an idea of how I would do it. So that was the push I needed to not be as scared to do it here.
Why do a clothing swap in Cleveland? Do you think the idea could take off here?
Thrift stores have been overly popularized to the point that [they’re] not affordable anymore. Also, it’s a lower-income city, and that was a big reason I wanted to do it not just with friends but in a more impactful way.
In theory, getting people to go home with over 70% of the clothing brought in would be ideal. However, being realistic, I would be thrilled to spread the thought behind the event and re-home 40% of the clothing. I think that would make it worth trying again for a larger impact in the future.
This one has become bigger than I anticipated, so I have been asking people to drop off clothing ahead of time. If people [want to] bring their clothes the day of, they’re more than welcome to. We just ask that they help hang it up, cause there’s only four of us who are managing a lot of stuff.
Any time someone gives me clothes, I’m like ‘Come to the event as well!’ We still don’t know what it’s gonna look like the day of, but we’re hoping for the best!
[Note: Shah asked that people who want to drop off clothing but won’t make it to the event take it to the Winchester Wednesday night, Aug. 20, between 7 and 9 p.m. She will be there to collect. People can also set up a different time with her.]
If the first clothing swap is successful, what are your future plans?
In terms of my future plans, a successful clothing swap would probably give me the reassurance I need to get more involved in the things I’m passionate about, especially when it comes to helping people and getting involved in the community.
