Swap till you drop

FAIR TRADE Bischf bags a bargain.

I’m eyeing a turquoise tweed Ann Taylor skirt spread out on the floor with a determined glare. I know it would fit perfectly. If only another woman weren’t standing territorially nearby, slowly edging toward the skirt to claim it.

“Three, two, one, swap!” The woman picks up the skirt, checks the size and places it back down. It’s mine! I reach for it and wait for someone to start a tug-of-war with me, but no one does.

The atmosphere at the Five Borough Clothing Swap, a meet-up held about 10 to 12 times a year, is that of a chill social event, not a frenzied free-for-all. Women casually pick up clothes, examine them closely, chat and sip wine. No one is arguing over some of the prime retail pieces that are scattered around the room. Five minutes later a woman walks over to me with a French Connection corset top in her arms. She drapes it against me: “This would look great on you! It’s just your size,” she smiles. “Here, have it.”

“The slogan of our group is, ‘Bring only things you’d be proud to give to a friend,’” says Loren Silber, who organizes the swaps through Meetup.com and says that half her closet consists of swapped clothes. The best aspect of the group for Silber is seeing people interact with each other over a common interest.

Clothing swaps are a small part of a giant community of swappers and freecyclers in New York City: people who reach out to their community to give their used goods away as part of a freegan lifestyle that emphasizes less participation in the consumer economy and a “minimal consumption of resources,” according to freegan.info.

The city is full of swap meet-ups and markets where you can find anything from electronic equipment to kitchenware without spending a dime. Christina Salvi is an employee for the Council on the Environment of NYC who helps organize its “Stop ’N Swaps,” free neighborhood markets held throughout the five boroughs.

“Items range from the typical clothing and books to unusual finds like mini drum kits, antique typewriters, blood sugar monitors and even, once, an iPod,” says Salvi. She is also a group administrator of the NYC branch of international movement Freecycle, where individuals can “gift” their used possessions by advertising them online for pickup. Freecycle also organizes seasonal “Freemeet” swaps for its members.

Felize Floras, a 34-year-old computer programmer, estimates that the Five Boroughs Clothing Swap is the 25th swap she has attended. At previous events she’s bagged electronic equipment, a pair of Stuart Weitzman shoes, Nine West sunglasses and a stash of vintage jewelry. “When I see clothes, I see jet fuel and environmental damage,” says Floras. She equates swapping with being an environmentally aware member of a sharing and engaged community.

Participants left the clothing swap, held at yoga center the Breathing Project in downtown Manhattan, with a handful of good, clean fashionable pieces—but remember that not all swaps have such a high percentage of quality items. It depends largely on the number of people that attend and the reasons they’re there.

“I really like to see people have a good time and get excited about new clothes, not paying a lot and making friends. Our group is very social,” says Loren Silber as she sits on the floor wearing a giant Afro wig brought by a participant and folding a few leftover clothes from the swap, which will be given to Goodwill.

Five Boroughs’ “waste not, want not” philosophy has grown more popular in the two years since Silber took over the group, which now has more than 360 members. It’s an environmental thing, says Floras, but “swap culture” is just as much about meeting people. “It’s about community; you kind of connect.”

Give and take

Brooklyn Clothing Exchange See Meetup.com or Facebook.com.

Five Boroughs Clothing Swap See Meetup.com.

The Really Really Free Market Last Sunday of the month at Judson Memorial Church (243 Thompson St between 3rd and 4th Sts, 212-477-0351, judson.org).

Stop ’N Swap See cenyc.org/swap for info about regular swaps.

Thrift On! Meets every four to five months at Botanica (47 E Houston St between Mott and Mulberry Sts, 212-343-7251).