The multi-coloured swap shop

Organised with the aim of encouraging women to recycle, it is clear from the start that this is an out-of-the-ordinary event. This is "eco-glam", and it is clothes, not bottles or paper, that are finding their second life.

Organised by style consultants Renideo and party planners Prestancia, this is one of Scotland's first official clothes-swapping events. Based on the premise that one woman's fashion trash is another's treasure, women are asked to bring their unwanted clothes and exchange with each other in what turns out to be a fun and frenzied clothes-grab.

"This party has been created to encourage the ecologically minded to prolong the use of their clothes," says Catherine Sinclair, the co-owner of Renideo. "It's amazing what people have in their wardrobes and this is a fun, informal way of getting rid of them - and the guilt you feel at having bought them in the first place. There is a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that your clothing has found a new - and appreciative - owner. Not only do you leave with a pile of clothes that you want to wear, which were free, but in swapping clothes and sipping wine, 'green fashion' will never feel so good."

Already established as a way of cutting household waste in America and Australia, clothes-swapping nights (often called Naked Lady Parties or Switch and Bitch nights) are the latest way to help the increasingly ethical fashionista do something about the ecological insult that is the 3.99 worn-once Primark buy, the impulse designer item which still hangs, unworn, at the back of the wardrobe, and that jacket for which a matching pair of trousers has never been found.

In theory, it's a great idea. While charity shops and second-hand stores remain our main depository for fashion disasters, according to the charity Traid, which specialises in recycling old garments, Britons dispose of 900,000 tons of clothing and shoes each year. Almost a quarter of this is recycled, leaving the rest to clog up landfill sites.

Thanks to the flooding of the high street with cheap throwaway clothes, this figure is only expected to rise. But now the backlash has begun. In 2005, New Yorker Wendy Jahanara Tremayne organised a clothes-swapping event called Swap-O-Rama-Rama. Designed, as she puts it, "to be an alternative to consumerism", people were encouraged to bring along those "tragic fashion mistakes" as well as all the "small stuff you bought while thinking, 'I'll fit in to this one day'", and to exchange it. It proved a big success. Today Swap-O-Rama-Rama events are regularly held in more than 40 cities around the US, and now include "sewing stations" where swappers are taught how to alter or customise their finds as well. In New York it is not unusual for such events, which can take the form of an auction or merely a free-for-all in a huge marquee, to attract thousands.

But this isn't Los Angeles or Sydney, it's conservative Edinburgh, a city in which flinging open your closet and exposing your fashion mistakes to a roomful of strangers does not come naturally. And, as the group of party-goers - almost all in their thirties and forties, mostly acquaintances or clients of the organisers - start filing into the club and depositing their unwanted wares (which are subsequently hung on rails and laid on couches), the mood is one of nervous anticipation.

"I am terrified my clothes are all deeply unfashionable and will be left on the rails at the end of night," remarks Judith McLean, 39, a businesswoman from Morningside.

Nicki Slater, 42, who runs The Imagination Workshop in Marchmont, is equally unsure about what to expect. "I am intrigued as to how it's all going to work. I suppose everyone has those items in their wardrobes which they've hardly ever worn. I'm hoping to pick up something decent," she says, having just dropped off a black DKNY skirt and a pair of Jasper Conran trousers. "I haven't really come for a bargain or to get anything specific, the night's more about supporting a good cause and socialising. I don't think this type of event will replace the charity shop, but at least [here] you know that the items will be clean and of good quality and you won't have to rummage through piles of rubbish."

As newcomers to the clothes-swapping scene, all the women are briefed on the rules of engagement before the event started. The swap consists of three rounds, in which everyone is entitled to select one garment. Pushing, shoving or making bitchy comments such as "who in God's name donated this?" are banned and helpful behaviour is encouraged. The ladies are also kindly reminded to pay one another compliments and told it is "good karma" not to wrestle someone to the floor for that coveted top, but to let the other person have it.

Then they are off. Thankfully, the high-spirited exchange which ensues is a world away from the scrum that is the first day of the Jenners sale. Standing tentatively in line, everyone is very polite at first but, once word is out that covetable items such as a grey Armani skirt (tag still attached) and a pair of Jimmy Choo stilettos are on offer, they soon start tearing trousers and jackets off hangers and parading their finds in front of the full-length mirrors.

"Can I wear this shade of pink so close to my face?" one swapper asks, seemingly to the whole room. A dozen nods help her make her decision. Some are focused and decisive, with one woman selecting an Orla Kiely A-line skirt in two minutes flat. Others split off in pairs and small groups, and cram themselves, giggling, into lavatory cubicles. Shouts of "it was made for you" and "it looks like you arrived in those jeans" come through every other door. By the end of the first round (which lasts abut 20 minutes), everyone has selected an item and, with flushed cheeks and hair looking decidedly clothes-swept, the assembly takes a break to sup Champagne before round two. By the end of the night only a handful of items remain, all of which will be donated to a local Bethany charity shop.

Yet such is the girlie, intimate atmosphere that, even after this frenzy, the rails remain reasonably tidy and the shoes still stand neatly lined up in pairs. No-one is sporting a black eye: the experience has been a bonding one and everyone is noticeably relaxed.

"No-one pushed me out of the way; everyone was really very friendly - I was even told the colour of my top really suited me," says McLean, clutching her new Per Una cardigan. "I'm really happy - everyone brought nice things."

So why come to an event like this instead of just dropping your stuff off at the charity shop or selling it over the internet? Many of the women present admit that eBay is simply too much like hard work for the time-poor. It is the feeling that this is a fun girls' night out, say the swappers - all of whom are first-timers - that gives this practice the edge over donating to Oxfam or the clothes recycling bank.

"There are some items you are either emotionally attached to, or which were really expensive and are just too good for the charity shop," says Janice Jack, a 39-year-old Edinburgh mum who, among other things, deposited a red Marks & Spencer Autograph dress. "Although I do give a lot of clothes to charity shops, I never shop in them as I don't find it an enjoyable experience. Clothes-swapping is much more personal; with a night like this you get to take something back, too. It would be great if it caught on."

Relieved at having seen all her donations - including a pair of red patent-leather Kurt Geiger heels - snapped up, McLean agrees: "I am into recycling and hate the thought of wasting things, but it's the fact that you can actually see where your clothes are going at a clothes-swap which gives the night that feel-good factor."

There are obvious pitfalls. How, for example, do you stop someone coming in with a selection of Primark tops and getting away with a handful of designer gear? How, without ruining the fun of the party, do you make sure people are not taking more than their fair share? In short, you can't. However, by keeping this event a strictly invite-only affair (swappers pay 30 each to attend, with proceeds going charity), Renideo can keep a tight reign on proceedings and prevent profiteers from attending.

With news that Brigitte Fashion in Glasgow held an event this week, and with the London social scene quickly warming to this type of party, it looks as if "Ditch'n'Switch" will soon become as popular among Brits as it is already in America and Australian.

Admittedly, thanks to the new Kate Moss collection, TopShop this week saw more customers run through the door in one hour than Renideo saw all night, but Sinclair's business partner, Karen Finlayson, believes the fact that women came and were converted was the most important thing.

"The night was really quite revolutionary in this country," she says. "It makes people think about our hunger for cheap, disposable fashion and perhaps wakes them up to the value of investment buying. It has also highlighted the fact that it's possible do something other than just discard our unwanted clothes. When it comes to recycling, Scots generally have a very bad record, but now we are waking up to the fact that you can not only dispose of an empty wine bottle in an environmentally friendly way, but also clothes too. We are now one step closer to making recycling part of our lifestyle."

DON'T JUST DITCH IT: THE BEST CLOTHES SWAPPING WEBSITES

www.swaporamarama.org

www.visaswap.com

www.swapstyle.com

www.whatsmineisyours.comwww.swapz.co.uk

Now in its second year, Swap-O-Rama-Rama started as a one-off event but has now grown into a swapping brand, with events put on by local groups all over America (details on the site). More "eco" than "glam", these events attract thousands of people. They also feature sewing and customisation areas, at which professional designers can be found, poised at sewing machines, ready to teach you how to modify your new-to-you clothes. There are also free labels on offer which read "100% Recycled" or "Modified by Me", to sew on your finds. For anyone interested in setting up their own Swap-O-Rama-Rama, there is also information on how to go about it.

Currently under construction, this will be the site to go to for information about the Visa Swap weekend taking place in London, from 15 to 17 June. Promising to take "clothes and accessories shopping to a whole new level", this event is the result of a collaboration between credit card group Visa and the charity TRAID (Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development). On seven dates between 31 May and 15 June, shoppers can take their designer and quality high-street clothes and accessories to a drop-off point in Knightsbridge, central London. Here they will be assessed and owners will receive points for their items which can be cashed in on the swap day.

Set up in 2004 by Australian fashion designer Emily Chesher for women looking to keep their wardrobes fresh and stylish "without the large price tags", this site is a virtual swap party where you can exchange, sell and buy clothes, accessories, cosmetics and shoes, alongside fellow eco-shoppers from around the world - the equivalent, so says its creator, of browsing through thousands of closets globally. All swappers have to do is register online (there is a small annual subscription) and then they're free to get swapping. It's "based on trust and friendship", though, so you deal at your own risk.

Attractive and easy to navigate, this slick members-only site allows users to swap as well as buy and sell designer and vintage fashion gear and furniture. Set up in 2004 by the fashion expert and stylist Judy Berger for discerning shoppers who, like her, were finding that their designer cast-offs were not properly valued on general marketplaces such as eBay, and were annoyed at the amount of commission charged by clothing exchange stores, this site has carved out a niche market for itself. Items now available to buy or swap are a vintage Chanel tweed jacket and an Escada cocktail dress.

Trading in everything from clothes to art and garden furniture, this is one of the UK's largest swapping sites. Sartorial offerings are mainly from the high street, with items ranging from a PVC maid's outfit to more mainstream pieces from TopShop and Dorothy Perkins. It's free to register and members offer swaps directly to one another on the site. Useful tools include a search function to find whether the item you want is listed, and also an advertising space where you can post requests.