Swishing It

Contributed by Emma Callin

Last week I wrote about one rule I have to keep my wardrobe from growing indefinitely: for every item I buy, I give away or donate a piece I already have.  In my case I more often give away before I donate, but this is mostly due to the fact that my mother is the youngest of ELEVEN so someone among my family is likely to fit and want my pre-loved clothes, accessories and footwear.  The few items left over I donate to either Making Changes (they always need small sizes) or Next Step Ministries (anything medium-sized or larger).

For those without large families that circulate pre-loved clothes, a clothing swap with your friends is one way to refresh your closet without buying anything while giving away the clothes you no longer wear.  In Calgary this is made even easier by For the Love of Trees and their "swish parties", where they define "swishing" as "to rustle clothing from friends".  

Their events are very straight-forward:

• Drop off at least one piece of quality clothing, accessories, or footwear prior to the drop off deadline in exchange for tokens to be used on the day of the Swish.
• Clothing must be in good condition - cleaned, ironed, preferably on hangers.
• Footwear must be attached firmly together.
• Accessories preferably boxed or in bags.
• Bags/purses/pockets should be checked for forgotten items.
• Items will be graded according to quality, with the applicable tokens awarded.* 
• One hour is allotted for browsing prior to the Swish, but no items can be claimed before the Swish opens.
• When Swishing begins, items may be purchased using tokens. 
• Unclaimed items at the end of the Swish will be donated to charity.

*Green (retail value <$100) = 5 points, Yellow (retail value $101-$200) = 10 points, Red (retail value > $200) = 15 points.

Their next Swish is this weekend on Saturday, with a focus on party dresses.  You can also keep an eye on their website for more upcoming swap parties!