Students recycled their wardrobes at the Style Lottery Closet Swap on Monday evening.
The closet swap is comparable to the thrifting experience, since the items gathered are gently used clothing, shoes and accessories from event participants. Junior psychology major Tauri Howard is a brand ambassador for Style Lottery, and she was part of the team who organized the event.
“I went with the idea that the swap would be a one-for-one kind of thing, but I ended up leaving with more than I brought in,” Howard said.
The swap was held in a room in Sims Hall, which was transformed into a boutique-like space. There was a clothing rack filled with blouses, dresses and blazers. On the side of the rack were two tables, one with shorts, pants and skirts, and the other with T-shirts and sweaters.
The style of clothes ranged from fun, bright and eclectic, to more conservative and classic pieces.
Style Lottery is a fashion-forward, non-profit organization meant to highlight the creative ways through which style can be expressed and made to be sustainable at the same time. The closet swap was done in partnership with Students of Sustainability, a student organization whose goal is to educate Syracuse University students about environmental issues.
Participants brought in four to five items and could leave with however many they wanted. Maizy Ludden, a freshman biology and food studies major, said she went to the event because she is an avid thrift shopper. “Thrifting is much cheaper and more eco-friendly,” she said. “I am definitely happy with what I got today.”
The leftover clothes will be used for the upcoming closet swap. Style Lottery said they hope to have more events like this in the future and aim to do one swap every semester.
Sophomore magazine major Darrien Clark said she was able to find a lot of really special pieces that meshed well with her sometimes grunge, sometimes “grandma-like” style. She was able to pick up a pastel peplum shirt, a pair of boots, and her favorite find of the night: floral overall shorts.
“Events like this are important from an environmental perspective because it’s sustainable and frees up landfills just a bit,” Clark said. “From a style perspective, you don’t want to look like everyone else at a department store. Swaps and thrifting allow you to be unique.”
