Ever notice how the things you just can’t get enough of are the same
things you have too many of? Like all the skirts, shoes and accessories
spilling from your closet that you never wear but can’t part with? Fear
not. You can buy less stuff, dispose of less stuff, and still be
fashionable. And you don’t have to dress like a Wal-Mart model to cut
your clothing budget to almost zero. Even dressing for success —
or for excess — doesn’t have to break the bank. Just turn that
overflowing wardrobe into currency by swapping it for some fresh
duds.
Suzanne Agasi, a self-titled “philanthrapreneur” who values
creativity over commerce, started holding small clothing-swap events
about fifteen years ago to help people recycle and socialize at the
same time. Thrifty fashion wasn’t as hip then as it is now, but there
was always a dedicated core of resourceful clotheshorses who wanted to
economize but didn’t want to look like they shopped at the church
basement rummage sale. After a while, Agasi saw opportunities to
harness fellow swappers’ collective goodwill for charity. Now that
shopping on a budget is as stylish as driving a hybrid and growing your
own arugula, she’s tuned her hobby into a nonprofit organization called
Diva Eve, which holds swanky, friendly events for women — and
occasionally men — at bars, cafes, and nail salons around the Bay
Area and Sacramento.
“I’m a woman; what do I want?” Agasi asked, explaining some of the
needs her organization strives to meet. “I want chocolate. I want spa
treatment.”
Swappers pay a cover charge (usually $10-$20), drop off their
stylish but unneeded clothing (there’s a five-item minimum), indulge in
a martini, a massage, a manicure, and maybe some dessert, then sift
through tables of new-to-them clothing. Dive Eve sometimes tailors
events to a certain niche clientele, so plus-sized women, teens, and
recently, men, can swap with their fashion peers.
“My events are set up so you basically get pampered and rewarded for
cleaning out your closet,” Agasi said. She doesn’t stop at providing
small luxuries though. She operates like a human Facebook; when she
talks about helping people network, her voice lights up. If she sees a
woman in need and a woman with more than she needs, she’ll find a way
to get them connected, whether it’s a Sex in the City fan who
needs a gently used Prada purse or a woman in a homeless shelter trying
to dress for a job interview. “No matter where you’re in your life,
whether you’re on a budget on you’re a clotheshorse, clothing swaps are
for you,” she said.
Agasi added that women whose bodies are transitioning, whether
because they’re pregnant or halfway through Weight Watchers, tend to
find the idea of swapping more approachable than purchasing a whole new
wardrobe.
She also uses swapping events as a way to showcase her acquaintances
who own or run small businesses. “I strive to put businesswomen on a
pedestal,” Agasi said. Photography studios and tanning salons are among
sponsors who’ve set up booths at events.
“Every single one of my events benefits a nonprofit,” she said. She
donates clothes that go unswapped to women’s shelters or charity
organizations. She added, “They got a ton of PR. A lot of women want to
volunteer to work at one. In December, I encourage women to bring for
the toy drive, too.”
While spreading around resources, Agasi never forgets the rule that
originally motivated her to swap: Dressing fabulously on a budget is
even better than shopping retail. She said, “I believe women that
thrift are very stylish” and added that she’s even seen swapping
inspire people to try a whole new look, experimenting with items of
clothing they might overlook if they were paying full price. “If you
don’t like it, there’s no shopping remorse; you just bring it to the
next swap.”
