Whenever I hear people talk about swish parties, I can’t say my eyes light up or that I feel a sudden urge to go and sift through my wardrobe. We all know that at a swingers’ party, people swap spouses. Not to be confused with a swish party where people swap clothes. Parting with tired, old clothes is not something that I find easy to do. I’m either too much of a sucker for nostalgia or totally unable to make a decision that I think I may regret later. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that I’m a hoarder, as I have chucked stuff out before, but there’s always a feeling that maybe I should have kept what I’ve thrown out. I know there have been a few pairs of shoes that I wish I never got rid of and who knows who has them now or where they are?
If you think I’m bad (and this I address to all the swishing professionals out there), then take designers. They are much worse. If something that they have made goes missing, they despair. And I understand why that is. It’s their art. They made it. It’s got to be sacred, hasn’t it?
All that said, now that I’ve actually plucked up the courage to dig out some bits that I’ve clearly outgrown stylistically and seen how these swish events work, I admit I’m more curious. It’s like sale shopping but free AND environmentally friendly. Lucy Shea, founder of Swishing and director of Futerra Sustainability Communications talks about swishing as a way to ‘Save money, save the planet, have a party: swishing effortlessly touches all of these buttons. Swishing parties are for all those women who want to combine glamour, environmental protection and frugality’.
And swishing is addictive. I could tell that by listening to some of the guests who came to The Big Swish Party at Platform (platformse1.co.uk) last weekend. One of the guests uttered to someone ‘this is my 40th swish party. I go to them a lot and blog about them. Here’s my card. Have a read of my blog’. When I heard this, it really kicked in how big this whole swishing thing is. From what I gather, there are events taking place all over the world and it is certainly becoming a global phenomenon. And don’t think it’s just all about clothes. It has now evolved to include other items, such as accessories, shoes, books and furniture.
The event that has now almost cured me of my total antipathy to this craze took place at Platform, situated near the famous Borough Market (www.boroughmarket.org.uk). I recall Jamie Oliver plugging this market in his early Naked Chef days. Hence why it’s so popular now maybe? I couldn’t resist going there after the event just to peruse the stalls and sample some of the world’s best French wines.
A welcome addition to London Bridge, Platform prides itself on using locally sourced, seasonal produce. This could be seen from the brunch that was served and the peach Bellini cocktails we had. The syrup was made that morning, so the waiter informed me. Owner of Platform, Tony Mckinlay, states that ‘we try to be sustainable in everything we do’. The furniture is recycled.
View London’s (www.viewlondon.co.uk) last word in their 4 star review of Platform enthuses that ‘with their diligent approach to the provenance of ingredients and animal welfare, this Tooley Street restaurant deserves to be a success’. And a success it is. Hence, why it was chosen to house a swishing event.
Hosted by Bigwardrobe.com (www.bigwardrobe.com) and stylist Lupe Castro, The Big Swish Party attracted a big crowd of swishers. And you could definitely spot the serious ones from the less serious ones. Being at the front of the queue definitely doesn’t hurt. I, however was slightly far back in the queue and therefore didn’t get first glance at all the items!
To honour the swishing activity were make-up brand Glam Spot Cosmetics (www.glamspotcosmetics.com) and skin-care brand Dermalogica (www.dermalogica.com) ready to offer complimentary makeovers, tattoos and face mapping skin analysis, along with generous sample give-aways to boot.
Now I’ve actually been to a swish party and taken part, I’m so much more of a fan. Ok, so I’ve always acknowledged that the whole concept of it is ethically noble, but swapping rather than just chucking doesn’t feel as bad as just chucking.
Written by Fashion and Lifestyle Editor
Julia Nelson
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