Vancouver Swap-O-Rama-Rama April 15th

Posted by Shallom
Filed in Fashion
March 22, 2007

The mad scene you see above is called the Vancouver Swap-O-Rama-Rama, and it's brought to you by True Stitches and the Work Less Party. All body types, genders and ages are welcome to attend and participate in some seriously sustainable fashion flipping. A while back Terri posted on the merits of attending or organizing clothing swaps as a way to revitalize your wardrobe - out with the old, ill fitting and unworn; in with the new (or, in this case, new-to-you). Well, since I got some great stuff from Terri's swap a couple of weeks ago, I was really excited when I saw the Swap-O-Rama-Rama poster yesterday. Now I'm just trying to figure out what I'm willing to part with from my current wardrobe.

Bring $5 for the entry fee and a bag of clothes, and you're ready to start swapping. It all goes down at the Heritage Hall (3102 Main St) from 11-4 on Sunday April 15th. There are lots of great events planned, including hands-on silkscreening demos with Yuriko from Blim, alteration stations where you can embellish and tailor your clothes on-site, live music by DJs Pyxis and Xyn of Xynthetic Netlabel, and to top it all off, a fashion show featuring up-and-coming local designers.

Want to get in for free? Swap-O-Rama is looking for volunteers to sort incoming donations onto the swap tables (you also get first dibs on everything), handy sewers to man alteration stations, reception and set-up/clean-up staff. For more details, please email van.swap@gmail.com to join their mailing list, or visit their myspace page.

Photo courtesy of Jenerally Speaking on Flickr.

Reader Reviews and Comments

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I love clothing swaps, but I found the last swap-o-rama-rama to be really disappointing.

The thing about small, intimate clothing swaps at friend's house, is that you're kept in check. You have to bring relatively interesting items from your closet out of fear of being mocked for your bad taste in clothes and never being invited back.

But with mammoth swaps, you're free of that burden, no one will know what you bring so you can finally get rid of your hideous pleather sandals or raver pants. The only way to get anything good at huge swaps is to volunteer to be a clothes-sorter, they get first dibs and always run away with the good stuff.

Posted by: Krisztina at March 22, 2007 2:37 PM | Quote Comment

Yes, I'm excited about this. Shallom, I still have so much stuff in my closet that needs to go. It's literally bursting - and I thought I busted out everything that needed to go for the clothing swap we did a while back. Nope!

Krisztina brings up a good point though - now I'm confused. Is it bring a bag, take a bag? And probs is a load of crap anyway. What to do...maybe I'll volunteer for a day.

Posted by: terri at March 22, 2007 7:46 PM | Quote Comment

Big props to Shallom for a great article! Swap-O-Rama is organized by a team of volunteers, and we loooove hearing that people are talking about - and excited about - the event. A big thank you from all of us.

In response to the previous poster, last fall's Swap-O-Rama was a bit overwhelming. We got some great coverage by CBC and various event listings, which resulted in tons of bodies with a huge variety of clothes. We did our best, but it was tough to keep up with sorting and monitoring quality.

We've thought a lot about our approach and we've learned a lot for April's event. We're doing much of our promotion by word-of-mouth, keeping the swapping more contained, and mixing it up with a killer fashion show and lots of DIY activities.

It's $5 to get in and the swap tables are fair game. Like any second-hand shopping, some people find gems, and some don't (aside: I didn't even have time to swap, but I did pick up a pair of Ralph Lauren jeans as I was cleaning up...) :D

Whatever your luck with the swap itself, I think it's well worth the admission to try your hand at free on-site silkscreening, embroidery, alteration, and tons of inspiration to take a second look at pre-loved clothes.

Did I mention live music and snacks?

I'm happy to clarify or answer any questions, and I hope to see you there...please email me at van.swap@gmail.com with any questions.

Posted by: Swap-O-Rama at March 22, 2007 9:06 PM | Quote Comment