If you were near the Old Pine Community Center on Oct. 11 and had $20 in your pocket, you had just enough money to potentially purchase a new and used wardrobe.
Philly’s second annual Swap-O-Rama-Rama, an event intended to encourage attendees to transform their wardrobes without purchasing any raw resources, had about 300 patrons within three hours of opening the doors.
There were different stations set up around the entire gym of the Old Pine Community Center. When walking into the building, friendly faces were there to greet you and lead you down a hallway lined with boxes of clothes waiting to be sorted.
Upon entering the gym, there were tables on both sides for silk screening. There were stations that taught sewing, how to create flowers out of fabric, and instructions on hand painting shoes and purses. Separate do-it-yourself (DIY) workshops were also being held throughout the day teaching new ways to modify your clothing.
What was most noticeable were the three large piles of clothing in the middle of the floor and the women at each pile, some on hands and knees, diving into them relentlessly.
Julianka Bell, a senior at Temple University, described it as a “unique free for all where you take all the ideas you see and incorporate them into your wardrobe.”
As stated by Michelle Freeman, a Drexel graduate and one of the main coordinators for the event, Philly Sewing Collective (a resource for people interested in sewing and crafting) partnered up with local boutiques (Anthropologie, Vintage Connection and Smak Parlour, to name a few) and received various clothing and fabric donations.
The event offered a chance for people to dispose of clothes they no longer wore and embellish old clothes, creating new looks, all while listening to rock music and snacking on free treats throughout the day.
Proceeds collected at the event went towards Girls Rock Philly, a nonprofit organization that hosts a week-long summer day camp for “junior rocker” girls, ages 9 to 17.
So beyond the fact that participants got to walk away with grab bags full of clothing, some new and some old, the little money spent was put towards a good cause.
This event, held in a room full of people with positive energy and one purpose, proved to be the perfect way to spend a Sunday evening.
You can contact Brandi Hargette at brandi.hargette@temple.edu
