Recycling is hot! Not only for furniture or books but also for clothes. Why don’t you organize a clothing swap party? It can save you and your friends a lot of time and money.

A clothing swap is the perfect excuse to get rid of your cast-off wardrobe and get some new clothes in return. Besides it’s also a great opportunity to catch up with your friends. The concept is really simple: invite as much people as your house can fit, ask them to take all bad buys and clothes they no longer wear with them, put all clothes on your table or on a clothing rack and you’re ready to go. You will be surprised at the diversity of items people will bring, from designer shoes to tacky outfits.

But how do you organize a clothing swap? It doesn’t ask for too much preparation really. Just send your friends an invitation – you could do this on Facebook -  for the party and ask them to pass it on to their friends. Always ask for confirmations so you have an idea about how many people are actually coming. It’s also common to ask people to bring their own drinks and a couple of snacks.

When you send your invitations, be specific about the number and the kind of items you expect people to bring. You could, for example, ask everyone to bring at least one pair of shoes and three pieces of clothing that are like new and have never been worn. The only rule: everything you bring is left behind. Clothes or shoes that haven’t been swapped go to charity.

To give yourself the time to make all necessary preparations and hang all clothes, ask all guests to come half an hour in advance. Set up your bedroom as changing room and make sure to provide at least one large mirror.

By the way, did you know that you can also swap clothes online? It allows you to refresh your wardrobe by exchanging shoes and clothes with others through the internet and mail. It’s not exactly the same but it can be a nice alternative, especially since they offer a much larger inventory than physical clothing swaps. Check SwapStyle for more information.

Alyssa