Looking around my bedroom and closet the other day, I finally got the realization that I might own too much when it comes to clothing. I can’t resist a good sale when I see one (especially if it looks good on me), and it ends up hurting my budget more than anything. I originally started searching for places where I could trade in clothing for money, but I found this nifty little event which I like a lot better!
On July 28th and 29th, Montreal is playing host to one of the biggest clothing swaps in North America. The Swap Team non-profit social enterprise is run entirely by volunteers and they are the brilliant masterminds behind “Take your clothes off!” swapping events. The principle is simple: You gather all the clothing, shoes and accessories that you don’t wear anymore, clean them, and deposit them at select drop-off locations. From there, it gets processed and inspected and whatever is accepted, you get a “Swap ticket” for; these tickets are used to pick up another item at the event. So let’s say you trade in 5 items and they are all accepted, you get 5 tickets to get 5 things at the event. Another thing I loved about this was that all the items that are left over after the event get donated to charity.
They do not accept the following:
Bathrobes, pajamas, t-shirts, underwear, lingerie, swimwear, tank tops, socks, leggings or stockings. Likewise, we do not issue exchange tickets for ripped, faded, torn, stained, scratched, dirty, frayed, missing buttons, broken zippers or otherwise worn/damaged items. Items received that fail to meet these standards will be donated to their charity partner for recycling.
You have until July 22nd to deposit items; make sure to read their laundering policy and to follow it. The entrance to the event is $10 but for the money you are bound to save, it’s a small price to pay. They do host other events around North America, but they all have seemed to have past and nothing is listed for upcoming ones. If you can manage to make your way to Montreal for this event, you should do so!
I plan on being there; I’m just not sure which day yet. I’ll keep you posted on Facebook!