The concept of swapping clothes is getting a reboot in India

The age-old practice of swapping your clothes is back, this time with the tag of sustainability attached to it

How many times have you raided your mum’s or your sibling's closet after being frustrated with “not having anything to wear” from your own overflowing closet? Whether it’s your mother’s sari you borrowed (and haven’t returned) for a wedding or your sister’s handbag you possessed in exchange for that cute top she was eyeing, the concept of swapping and sharing clothes has more often than not, been a family thing. But it’s slowly catching up and becoming more normalised in India, with conversations around sustainability driving the fashion industry. A survey by Censuswide for North London Waste Authority showed that there has been a major shift among youngsters towards pre-loved clothes and swaps; one in two millennials and Gen Zs bought second-hand, swapped or borrowed more in 2020 than 2019. With the younger crop of consumers embracing thrifting and second-hand shopping with open arms, swapping and sharing clothing is one of the simplest ways to extend the life of any piece of clothing, especially if they’ve outgrown it or simply gotten bored of it. We speak to experts who believe that ‘swap, don’t shop’ is going to be the next big thing in fashion.

The exchange game

Considering the amount of accessibility and convenience made available to us through a simple swipe on our smartphones, ‘retail therapy’ is no longer an indulgence. Most of us are guilty of aimlessly scrolling through retail apps and Instagram shops, and ending up buying something without giving it much of a thought. “We are all quite aware of the waste generated by the fashion industry and the problem of abundance in our wardrobes which was reaching a saturation point,” says Bengaluru-based Sai Sangeet—the co-founder of Exchange Room, an online platform where you can swap, share or donate your clothes—who started out with the idea in 2014. “Our first swap was held in July 2014 at a friend’s attic for just a close-knit group of friends, as a trial run. It was so well-received that we decided to host events that were open to all, and reach out to a wider audience. We started with just 10 swappers in July 2014 and now we have a lovely community of close to over 5,200 like-minded individuals,” says Sangeet. These swap parties and events include not just clothes, but also accessories, décor items and even books.

Fashion swaps work around the idea of a circular consumption cycle, where nothing is being discarded or wasted. Instead, it is recycled into someone else’s hand who gives it a new home. It’s also friendly on your pocket since it works on a barter system.

“Swapping or doing a barter is an interesting concept since people don’t really have to pay to add something new to their closet,” says Nancy Bhasin. Bhasin is the founder of This For That—an app-based platform to swap fashion and beauty products—who first started experimenting with the idea of swapping offline in 2016 in the form of close-knit parities in New Delhi and NCR. “When we held these swap parties, we realised that people in bigger, metro cities have an excess of everyday clothing. Clothes-swapping is not a new behaviour in India since we’ve always done that between family and friends. But we wanted to make it transactional,” says Bhasin, whose platform is also used by people from tier-two and tier-three cities in the country. “For them it’s about access. People from smaller cities might not have an outlet of Zara or a Fabindia in their area or might not be able to afford such brands. But on our platform, they can swap something in order to access these brands at a fraction of a price,” she explains.

The value of pre-loved clothing

With options of thrifting and buying second-hand readily available now more than ever, what is it that makes this system of swapping clothes special enough for people to keep engaging in this activity? For Bhasin, it’s the stories that people come back for. “We always ask our participants the reason they are swapping clothes. It might be a gift from their partners that doesn’t fit them right but is still in good shape, or it might be a part of someone’s trousseau and has emotional value but doesn’t fit their vibe. The stories behind these individual pieces is what makes something like swapping clothes not come across as cheap,” she says.

For Hyderabad-based Tejaswi Dantuluri, who works with an NGO called Disha Collection and Café Paak—an organic café and cultural space in Hyderabad—it was vital to share the objective for holding these swapping events through social media and promote the idea of sustainability and de-cluttering their wardrobes mindfully. Her Instagram posts about such events usually feature a long list of dos and don’ts for participants who wish to attend, and she tries to host them at least once a month. The list includes the number of items a person can bring and the items’ hygiene status. Sangeet, too, finds it important to emphasise the importance of washing their pre-loved items before wearing them or giving them a new home.

Lingering stereotypes

While Indian consumers are just warming up to the idea of putting their trust and cash while investing in second-hand items, vintage or rental fashion, there are still some stereotypes that many can’t seem to shake off when it comes to exchanging clothes. “A lot of people don’t like the idea of swapping clothes with people they don’t know. For one, if the garment is not properly washed, cleaned and sun-dried, it could lead to the possibility of diseases or infections that can be carried to the other person,” says Nidarshana Saikia Das of Maati Eco Fest, who regularly holds swapping events in Hyderabad. She also points out another interesting fact. “It’s my observation, and I’m not sure why, but I’ve never seen a single man turn up at these swapping events. It’s very specific to women, as if men are repulsed by the idea of wearing someone else’s clothes,” she says.

The COVID-19 pandemic, too, played its part when it came to such physical swap parties and events. “The past couple of years have been quite a challenging ride for us. Our small, sustainable business used to rely on hosting large-scale events. When the pandemic started, it changed the world, and like many other small businesses, it impacted us too,” says Sangeet, who had to give Exchange Room a break. “Trying to host events that provide the experience we always strive for and one that our community has been accustomed to, while following lockdown and COVID-safety protocols, became taxing and nearly impossible,” she explains. Saikia Das also had similar experiences owing to the pandemic, but is hopeful to be back with more such events soon, as a chance to promote sustainability.

Also Read: How is sustainability measured in the Indian fashion industry?

Also Read: Are we really ready to rent what we wear?

Also Read: How are Indian beauty brands making packaging more sustainable?