THE CLOTHING SWAP EVOLUTION

THE CLOTHING SWAP EVOLUTION: A JOURNEY TO TODAY'S CELEBRATED EXCHANGE

While Swapping Closets is certainly offering something new and exciting for women around the region, the concept of clothing swaps is one with deep roots in 20th Century culture. As discussed by fashion and textile historian Heather A. Vaughan in an article on wornthrough.com, clothing swaps can be traced back to the 1940s when wartime restrictions sparked the 'make-do-and-mend' campaign. Great lengths were taken to ensure no 'hand-me-down' stigma was attached to one's personal participation. As described in a 1943 article in the Saturday Evening Post:

"The garments are entered in a record book and the owner is given a number. On each article is placed a tag bearing the price, fixed by the owner, the size and the owner's number. The owner's identity is of course, buried in this process. The garments are displayed on racks. When an article is sold, the tag is removed, put in an envelope with the money, and the owner's name written on the outside. He collects at leisure."

Swaps enjoyed a resurgence in the 1960s but again carried with them some underlying shame for their second-hand status. So when did the mainstream fashion world truly embrace recycled garments? When did it officially become hip to care about looking good on a budget?

The modern-day clothing swap actually began taking shape in the early 80's when the women's movement sent career-minded ladies in search of suitable yet affordable office attire. These pay-to-exchange events gained steam in the 1990s, but as we welcomed the 21st Century, the clothing swap became more than a fad for the frugal. It became part of the green movement ... a way for ecoconscious consumers to make a social statement as much as a fashion statement. Recycled clothing became as counter-culture-cool as vintage fashion.

Then came the economical meltdown of 2008. Suddenly, clothing swaps weren't just earth-friendly, they were budget friendly, and designer-label divas around the world were shedding any shame they may have had about second-hand threads and embracing the swap wholheartedly. The UK publication The Sun published an article on July 14, 2008, on clothing swaps that began:

"IT WAS only a matter of time before the credit crunch started wreaking havoc with our wardrobes.

Window-shopping has become a national epidemic and stylish splurges are a thing of the past as we all try to cut back. We haven’t felt a squeeze this tight since we tried to get into our skinny jeans after Christmas.

Cue the rise of the “frugalistas” – cash-poor, style-high girls finding low-cost ways to stay in up-to-the-minute looks."

Today, events like those organized and promoted by Swapping Closets are part of a coast-to-coast movement that celebrates looking good, feeling good and being good ... to the environment and to our bank accounts. By incorporating food, cocktails, beauty services/products and charitable causes with clothing swaps, the modern-day clothing exchange is more than an alternative to shopping: it's an experience!