“I snagged a pair of never-worn Costume National shoes, a Burberry blazer, some Vanessa Bruno cotton trousers and a vintage mink coat. It wouldn’t surprise me if I found a pair of Blahniks or Louboutins!” says PJ Gach, a music reviewer and self-confessed fashion addict, referring to her finds at Freemeets, a new way of swapping unwanted but still fashionable clothes.
Almost perfectly tailored for the current belt-tightening economic climate and the drive towards greener lifestyles , Freemeets, which started in 2005, is effectively an opportunity to benefit – for free – from another person’s cast-offs. It was founded by Christina Salvi, director of the New York City branch of Freecycle.org, an online messageboard where people can post, item by item, things that they no longer want .
Word on Freemeets spreads via social networking sites. In New York alone, its original community now has some 30,000 members.
The rules are simple: a person walks in, takes what they want and leaves. Unlike clothes-swapping parties, visitors don’t have to bring clothes with them to participate. There is no entry fee, anyone can attend and donors can bring anything they want to give away. All items are inspected and sorted by volunteer organisers.
“To begin with, there were a few chancers who would grab everything and try to sell it on the street,” says Gach. “Now it’s different. Because kids go through clothes so fast, we see families come of all incomes. Even fashionable teens get excited about used clothes .”
And when it comes to luring a discerning clientele, Freemeets has one clear advantage over eBay. “For most people, especially those who love fashion, space is at a premium. If you take a chance on eBay and it doesn’t sell, well, it’s still going to clutter your closet.”
Indeed, it may be fashion, in particular designer fashion, that makes Freemeets so appealing. “Within minutes of arriving at an event, I found a pair of men’s grey wool trousers that fitted and didn’t require tailoring, which as most men know is practically unheard of,” says Vincent Lai, a computer consultant.
At a Freemeets event last summer, a young professional brought in a shopping bag filled with expensive suits and trousers. Before they could be sorted out, a fledgling City banker had approached the donor. Lucky for him, both men were the same size and he found himself with a “new” wardrobe.
“Then there’s the woman who came in to donate a large bag of men’s wear,” says Gach. “Every item was new, with price tags. After falling out with her boyfriend, she decided he wasn’t getting his gifts!”
As Freemeets become more popular, like-minded groups are collaborating with the organisation – such as Swap-O-Rama-Rama, a group that does on-the-spot silk screening and also brings sewing stations to the events to transform clothing.
The online retail world has also taken notice. The website Commuto.com combines swapping with social networking, allowing users to create profiles with lists of items they want to find – and those they want to get rid of.
With more Freemeets planned for the back-to-school rush in September and for the festive season, it appears that some of the good things in life really are free.
www.recyclethisnyc.org
www.freecycle.org
www.commuto.com
Trend-tracker Syl Tang runs HipGuide Inc: ceo@hipguide.com
...................................................................................
‘Giles Deacon and Miu Miu cast-offs were found’
It’s not only the thrifty who have discovered the benefits of swapping unwanted clothes. Last year, Visa got in on the action by setting up a small pop-up shop in London’s Knightsbridge on the premise that donors would bring in unwanted items (anything from Primark to Prada), receive points, and go “shopping” with them for other items donated by like-minded label-lovers.
Among the display tables there were some rich pickings to be found, including dresses by Giles Deacon and cast-off Miu Miu bags from Lindsay Lohan. Any leftovers were sent to the charity TRAID (Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development). The event was such a success that this weekend Visa has taken over three storeys in a Covent Garden loft, offering not only women’s wear, but men’s wear and accessories too.
”As fashion and shopping go hand-in-hand, we realised that this presented an excellent way to engage with a key group of consumers,” says Simon Kleine, head of corporate communications for Visa Europe. “At the same time, fashion provides a route to demonstrate responsible spending using the ‘swap’ idea.”
For some time now, swap meets have been more than informal living room parties. Emily Chester launched www.swapstyle.com in July 2004. After paying an initial fee, members can connect with people by posting items across the world.
Offline, meanwhile, Swap-O-Rama-Rama is perhaps the largest and most well-known swap company. Founded in October 2005 by the singer-songwriter Wendy Tremayne, the collective now organises (or publicises) swap meets from Vancouver to Istanbul. And California-based SwapSF – launched in 2006 as a party event attracting over 600 people – along with Clothing Swap (also based in San Francisco), organise swap meets for groups of girlfriends or companies. Swapping fashion has now become such an organised affair that the trend even has its own Wikipedia page (type in “clothing swap”), promoting the events as “easy and cheap to organise” and a “good way to both declutter and refill one’s wardrobe”.
www.swapstyle.com
www.visaswap.com
www.swaporamarama.org
www.swapsf.com
www.clothingswap.org
