After reading about the clothing swap concept several weeks ago, Galit Bauer, partner in b-good, hosted one here in Amsterdam. It was the first swap for nearly everyone present, and was a big hit. Two guys were present–they agreed it was a good thing for both males and females, and they will encourage their guy pals to come to the next one. Everyone left with at least one “new” item that was totally free! Galit combined the event with the opportunity to sell items from her
b-good line. This is a nice idea for anyone who is making their own jewelry or other craft/clothing items. Host a clothing swap so everyone can clean out their closets and get free stuff, but also expose people to your own products. And don’t forget the main point, to be social and have some fun. At Galit’s, the party went late with everyone chatting and drinking wine. Same thing with the one I wrote about at Lauren’s, where we ended up dancing in the living room (in our new clothes).

Another point, what to do with the leftover clothes? I researched this a bit when I was living in New York. Usually I gave them to a local thrift store such as Goodwill, which in turn sells the items at low cost and uses the proceeds to help an appointed charity. At one point I wanted to try to donate the clothes to hurricane Katrina victims in the US, but I discovered that donated clothes are of limited helpfulness in this sort of disaster. Because clothes are so cheap and plentiful these days, many clothes will go to overseas charities in third world countries or be shredded for pillow fillings. I have no problem with this, but it’s a reminder that it might be better to re-use them yourself. Really worn or badly stained items should be used as rags for dusting or washing the car. Nice fabrics can be saved for patchwork quilts or other craft items. For some crafty ideas, check out
Church of Craft. If you aren’t crafty, you might find a friend who is. High quality items that you no longer want, like a wedding dress or fancy coat, might be sold at a consignment shop. But if you are the host dealing with a big pile of leftover clothes, the easiest thing to do is donate the lot to an organization. Depending on the city, some have drop boxes, like Amnesty International in Amsterdam. Sometimes a charity will come pick them up if you have a lot of stuff and no car. Happy swapping, and let us know how your next swap goes! -Jill Woodward