From the Editor: Introducing Clothing Swap CO-OPhx

The highly anticipated Clothing Swap CO-OPhx made its debut this past Sunday, February 26th. The event that supported stylish sustainability was a huge success. The idea stemmed from CO-OPhx Founder’s (Kelsey Wong) mission to abstain from buying new clothes for an entire year. Upon coming home after three months travelling abroad with only the clothes on her back, Wong realized that her large wardrobe wasn’t meaningful nor a reflection of who she is today. Now seven-months-sober, she’s begun a new mission to invite others to value the history of their own clothes by giving the less-worn items in our closets a new home and a new life. With the help of Co-Founder, Sydney Rea, the Clothing Swap CO-OPhx was born and their first Swap was totally awesome.

Here’s how it went down:

Swappers arrived at the event with their bag of swag, a.k.a. gently used clothing, and $5. Once checked in by CO-OPhx staff, everyone’s clothes were assigned points based on the type of item and the number of articles brought. While the staffers were hard at work setting up clothing, a social hour was had. Delicious appetizers and ALMOND CHAMPAGNE (I know… yum!) were supplied by the Queen Creek Olive Mill. The Swappers mingled and met one another. I took this opportunity to capture fashionable ensembles from the group.

After the social, everyone received cards with their allotted number of points on them and were allowed to SWAP! The backyard was transformed into an adorable boutique shop with all of the clothes displayed not only on racks and tables, but hanging off trees and the fence. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s kind of rad.

Throughout the participation of the Swap, Swappers engaged with each other to see what everyone else was grabbing. I have to admit, I loved seeing who was picking up the clothes I brought and asking around to see who brought the clothes I was holding.

Alas, Swappers in action.

You might be wondering what happened to the clothes that weren’t claimed. Well, they were donated to Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America. These savvy Swappers are not only looking  out for themselves, nope. They are helping others who are in need.

Overall, the event was fantastic. The Swap was social, sustainable and smart. 

To see more photos from the event, head on over to our Facebook fan page here: http://on.fb.me/y9T8tx 

You can find out more about Clothing CO-OPhx and their next event on Facebook here: http://on.fb.me/ycwToY 

I also wanted to give a shout out to the ladies of Style Tutor. We met them at the Swap and I must say, I loved what they were wearing. Don’t forget to like them on Facebook too. You can do that here: http://on.fb.me/zm6ug4