I never would have thought that a cool-looking shaggy black jacket would look good on me, but now I have one in my closet. What happened? I picked one up during the Hornsey Vale Community Centre’s inaugural clothing swap and put it on for a laugh. I got enough “oohs,” “aahs” and “seriously, you look great!” to bring it home. A few days later, I travelled on the tube wearing it to attend a concert feeling a bit like a rockstar myself.
One of my favourite things about clothing swaps is the way they allow you to experiment with style and move out of your fashion comfort zone without breaking the bank. I have attended clothing swaps in settings ranging from people’s apartments to community centres, and I love “shopping” in their communal atmosphere. It’s a great way to meet people, try on new things, and walk away with a refreshed closet (and yes, I consider second hand a refresh!)
This was our inaugural event at Hornsey Vale, and we kept prices low for entry and encouraged people to bring clothes right for the season, hoping to time it with people decluttering their wardrobes. The result was tables stacked with trousers, jeans, jumpers, shirts, and racks of dresses, coats, and blouses. A Rag & Bone coat was snapped up quickly, as were some Mint Velvet, French Connection, and Jigsaw items. I swapped a pair of too-small suede Toms wedges with a friend who had brought along a too-big pair of beautiful wellies. They saved me a few days later during torrential rain and I think of her now when I put them on.
The event was also incredibly lucky to have the presence of Deborah Burnham, a local stylist who specialises in helping clients do the most with their existing closets before buying new clothes. Deborah helped people style new items, gave me a pep talk about my ability to find the right pair of jeans, and encouraged participants to be open minded when thinking about their personal styles. Says Deborah,
As a Personal Stylist, I love little more than putting wardrobes to work. Helping people fall back in love with their wardrobes by showing them new ways to wear what they already own not only saves them a small fortune, but is that much more sustainable… Which is why I was honoured to be involved in the recent Hornsey Vales Clothes Swap—circular fashion is a great way to minimise waste whilst also filling those gaps in our wardrobes to make them work that much harder for us. It was great to see such an appetite for this kind of event, and I certainly had a lot of fun on the day showing people how to style their “new” gems!
—Deborah Burnham
Attendees came from the surrounding neighbourhood and as far as Fulham, citing their interest in sustainable fashion and repurposing clothes. We enjoyed some delicious cake, and clothing leftover was donated to our partners TRAID. Funds raised from the event will go towards improving the acoustics of the Main Hall.
If you attended the event and would like to provide feedback please do so by emailing info@hornseyvale.org. We hope to do events in the future and are currently exploring the idea of doing a spring swap for adults, as well as a children’s clothing swap.
The event called to mind a quote by style icon Diane von Fursternberg who said, “style is something each of us already has; all we need to do is find it.”
We hope you play with and perhaps even find your sense of style at our next clothing swap!
