Want to host a rave fashion swap? A rave wear swap is one of the best ways to refresh your wardrobe sustainably, keep unique pieces on the dance floor, and build community with local ravers.

Here’s Raveival‘s step-by-step guide on how to host a playful and impactful rave wear swap!

Step 1: Pick a Time and Place for Your Rave Wear Swap ⏰

If you are bringing together a group of individuals who haven’t met one another, it’s important to hold your swap in a neutral space, such as a public park.

There’s never a wrong time to host a clothing swap, but a great reason to get one going could be if there is a festival or music event coming up. We would recommend holding the swap about 2 weeks before the said event takes place. 

We also recommend setting a specific time frame for the swap, typically during daytime hours, such as 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

Rave wear swaps give individuals the chance to find an exciting outfit for their next event and brings together a local community of ravers who care about fashion, sustainability, or both.

Step 2: Set the Rave Wear Swap’s Vibe 🌞

Curate a fun and inviting space. Invite people to not only just come and bring their pre-loved rave clothes, but to hang out and get to know each other as well. 

Treat your swap like a meet and mingle activity! Festival clothing swaps give attendees the chance to connect with one another, plan outfits, and build excitement for an event.

If you want to host your clothing swap as a park day, encourage people to bring picnic blankets, art supplies, snacks, and flow toys. Make a fire playlist, play some get-to-know-you or icebreaker games, and have a mini dance break.

Step 3: Spread the word about your Rave Wear Swap! 📣

About 2 to 3 weeks before the swap, start getting the word out! Let people know when and where the swap will be taking place. It’s important to give people time to get excited, tell their friends, and prepare what pieces they would like to bring. 

Besides through simple word of mouth, some places to promote your event are:

• Instagram and TikTok
• Radiate, a social networking app designed to connect people attending the same music festivals and live events.
• Local Facebook groups, such as “Events happening in [insert city here]”
• Partiful, an event planning platform designed to manage social gatherings

Step 4: Establish Rave Wear Swap Guidelines ✅

For your clothing swap to run smoothly, it’s important to establish solid guidelines for the items that people are allowed to bring.

• Ask participants to bring gently used, clean, and wearable festival and themed clothing. It’s essential that participants bring clothes that are in good condition, without any stains, tears, or excessive wear. This ensures that the items traded are ready to be worn and loved by the next person!

• If participants agree, the host can reserve the last hour or so for people who do not have something to trade but still wish to participate in the swap.

• Come to an agreement about what happens to the clothing after the swap is over.
  • The most sustainable thing to do is list the remaining items on Raveival! Based on what participants are comfortable with, decide how to manage the money made from these sales. This can vary from participant-to-participant.
• Here are different approaches for managing the money made from selling the remaining clothing on Raveival:

1) The swap host lists the remaining clothing on Raveival and keeps the money as a compensation for organizing the swap and helping keep the fashion out of the landfill.

2) Participants take home their own remaining clothes and list them on the Raveival marketplace.

3) The swap host lists the remaining clothing on Raveival and pays out the original clothing owners’ a percentage of the listing price (recommended: 30 to 40%).

Step 5: rave wear Swap Day! 🥳

It is important to explain to participants how things will work at the swap. A little structure can go a long way!

Preach swap etiquette!

• Beforehand, let participants know that they are expected to be respectful and considerate during the swap. Ask them not to hoard items, but rather to take turns and allow everyone a chance at finding something that they love or sparks joy. 

• Remind your attendees that new participants and items may be on their way, so earlier arrivals may have to wait a little bit until they discover something that calls to them. Super cute rave tops, edgy bodysuits, or the perfect rave set for their next event may be just around the corner.

Advise them to wear swap friendly clothing.

• The night before the swap, encourage attendees to wear something that can easily be slipped on/off or that clothes can be pulled over. This way, they could try pieces on to make sure they fit before taking them home. 

Step 6: Thank Your Swappers Afterwards 🌱

Once the swap has ended, thank your swappers for coming out and keeping their clothing out of the landfill and on the dance floor, where it belongs! 

Encourage your swappers to keep the sustainable spirit alive by wearing and sharing their outfits, contributing to other swaps, and joining Raveival’s sustainable style community.

Some resources that you can check out yourself and share with your attendees are our IG Reel How to Take Amazing Photos when Listing on Raveival and our blog post Top 6 Tips for Successful Selling.

Need more inspiration? Check out Raveival’s past Treasure Hunt Clothing Swaps!

Raveival’s Treasure Hunt Clothing Swap is a gemstone themed, point-based festival fashion swap that builds community, reduces fashion waste, and makes rave wear affordable and accessible.

If you’ve considered throwing a rave wear swap but weren’t sure where to start, we hope this guide sets you up for success! All of these rules can be adjusted to fit the specific goals and needs of your own event. Happy swapping!!

And if you are attending Lightning in a Bottle, Raveival will be bringing the Treasure Hunt Clothing Swap to the fest grounds this year!

Rave Wear Swap: FAQs

How many clothes should I bring to a clothing swap?

You should bring all the clothing that you are ready to pass on. There is typically no limit to the amount of clothing.

What happens to leftover clothes after a swap?

Oftentimes, swap hosts sell leftover clothing on fashion resale marketplaces like Raveival.

What kind of clothes should I bring to a clothing swap?

Bring any gently used, clean, and wearable pre-loved pieces that would spark joy in someone else. Clothing swaps are not meant to bring clothes with excessive rips, stains, or wear and tear.

Do I have to bring clothes to participate in a clothing swap?

You actually address this in Step 4 — the last hour can be opened to people who don’t have something to trade. Pulling that out into a FAQ makes it findable as a search result on its own.

How do I organize a clothing swap layout?

You can organize the layout with tables or picnic blankets. The clothing can be sorted into different piles such as: size or item type.

Can I sell leftover clothes from a clothing swap?

If the participants are okay with it, then yes! Usually, people bring clothing to swaps that they do not want to take back home with them, so the swap host is typically fine to resell afterwards.

Written by: Georgie Smith