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My potential swapsies included an Acne Jeans denim smock dress, another dress – this time fitted, dark wash denim from Isabel Marant Etoile, a satin midi skirt from Ganni, an LBD from Zara and some sky-high tan leather Pierre Hardy platforms. So many memories. Each piece needs to have a resale value of between £50-£300 so my Zara dress didn’t pass muster. LOANHOOD don’t accept any fast fashion brands although I spotted higher tier high street labels like Reiss, Hobbs, All Saints and Ted Baker on the rails. (They also don’t take accessories, so the heels went back in my cotton tote too.)
Each item is ‘priced’ and you receive a stamp to swap for something else of equivalent value. The two denim dresses and the skirt all received one stamp, meaning they would have a resale value of between £50-£149. Fancier pieces get two stamps that are worth £150-£300.
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The value of your items is predetermined by expert checkers who know the resale market inside out. The team are keen to point out that this is not a dumping ground for cheap, old clothes and have had choice pieces from Burberry, Versace, Saint Laurent and Gucci in store, alongside proper vintage gems.
The way that the stamp system works means that you could swap something that is worth £50 at resale for a new-to-you piece worth £149. That’s a pretty good deal and should sweeten any pangs of sadness as you leave your old life clothes behind. Although you could hand over something at the top of the price bracket and not find anything to flip it for, which I was terrified of. It felt weird to hand over my clothes and not know what I might come away with… While the joy of preloved fashion is that you never know what you might find, likewise that uncertainty could send you into panic. I’ve always avoided swapping events before because I’ve never been confident I’d swap my cherished clothes for something similar but the stamp system is really fair. Your stamps are also valid for the entire pop-up period, so it’s worth visiting again if you don’t spot anything first time round.
As I scanned the rails I was tempted by a Sonia by Sonia Rykiel red anorak, an emerald green Ireland rugby shirt from the menswear section and a pair of Omnes wide leg lilac cords which all came into the fitting room with me, but I also had one eye on swapping ‘up’, in terms of value, so was thrilled to spot a pair of immaculate grey wool cigarette pants from Sportmax (worth one stamp) and a printed velvet dress from Erdem (two stamps) – both in my size. One exquisite Erdem dress is definitely an upgrade from my two denim dresses. I might have done a mini air punch. The checkout process was smooth and I’ve kept my stamp card as I have a few more pieces I’d love to swap… the adrenaline rush of uncertainty could become addictive.