Host a Clothing Swap
Organize and host a clothing swap with friends: sort, label, display, exchange gently used clothes, learn sharing, organizing, and sustainable habits.
Step-by-step guide to host a clothing swap
Step 1
Choose a date and time for your clothing swap.
Step 2
Invite friends to the swap and tell them to bring gently used clean clothes.
Step 3
Gather the clothes you will bring to the swap.
Step 4
Wash or clean all the clothes you will bring.
Step 5
Mend small rips or sew on missing buttons with adult help.
Step 6
Sort clothes into boxes or baskets by size and type.
Step 7
Label each box or hanger with size and type using sticky notes and a marker.
Step 8
Set up tables and racks where clothes will be displayed.
Step 9
Hang and fold clothes on the tables and racks by the labeled categories.
Step 10
Create a try-on area with a mirror and a curtain or sheet for privacy.
Step 11
Make a sign that lists simple swap rules on poster paper.
Step 12
Place the sign where all guests can easily read it.
Step 13
Greet each guest as they arrive.
Step 14
Explain the swap rules to everyone before the swap begins.
Step 15
Share your finished clothing swap on DIY.org.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use if we don't have sticky notes, poster paper, or clothing racks?
Use torn cardboard or cereal-box pieces and a marker taped to boxes as labels, drape clothes over chairs, doors, or a curtain rod instead of racks, and write rules on flattened cardboard if you don't have poster paper.
What should we do if clothes are wrinkled, missing buttons, or the try-on area gets crowded?
Re-wash or steam wrinkled items, mend missing buttons with adult help before the swap, re-sort into correctly labeled boxes by size, and expand the try-on area with another curtain or sheet to prevent crowding.
How can we change the activity for younger kids versus older kids?
Have younger children help wash, sort into labeled baskets, and fold clothes while older kids handle washing, mending with adult help, setting up tables and racks, making the poster sign, explaining rules, and posting the finished swap on DIY.org.
How can we make the clothing swap more fun or personal?
Add a DIY styling corner next to the try-on area with safety pins, belts, and scarves, provide paper 'trade tokens' guests can decorate, let kids personalize labels on the poster paper sign, and plan to donate leftovers after the swap.
Watch videos on how to host a clothing swap
Top Tips: How to organise a successful swishing clothes swap event
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Top Tips: How to organise a successful swishing clothes swap event
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Facts about sustainable fashion and clothing swaps
♻️ Many donated clothes aren’t reused locally and can still end up discarded — swaps make sure items get used right away.
🎉 A clothing swap is part party, part lesson — kids practice sorting, labeling sizes, and the joy of sharing.
🌍 Choosing swaps or thrifted finds helps reduce water use and pollution linked to new clothing production.
👗 Swapping clothes can give garments a new life — one extra owner can keep a piece out of landfill for years!
🛍️ The secondhand fashion scene has exploded recently, with young people driving much of the resale boom.
How do I organize and host a clothing swap with friends?
What materials do I need to host a children's clothing swap?
What ages is a clothing swap suitable for?
What are the benefits and safety tips for a kids' clothing swap?
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