It was a bittersweet moment for Chicagoan Michelle Milne when she realized the genuine leather laptop bag she purchased five years ago would never be of good use for her profession as she had hoped. But there is an upcoming event that could benefit her purchase by helping her and someone else, too.

On March 29, the first Clothing Swap will be held at the Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave. The event works in a simple way: A person can drop their unwanted clothing or accessories at a designated drop-off place or during a drop-off weekend at various businesses. People are also volunteering their homes to be used as

donation locations.

Donors fill out a form with their name and the number of pieces they are donating. On the date of the show, the form can be cashed in for one chip per item, which act as money to purchase “new” clothes.

Buying new clothes without actually spending any money is the whole idea, said Emily Easton, organizer and faculty member in Columbia’s Cultural Studies department.  People can get new and trendy clothes even in a down economy, when they don’t have a lot of money but still desire them, Easton said.

“Any time citizens are well-dressed, happy and living within their budgets at the same time, it’s a good thing,” Easton said. “It’s also good for the environment when people get more use out of the things that we already own.  And I think it’s going to be fun to bring such a big group of people together from all sorts of different social cliques and bring them all together and shop.”

The event will also benefit Chicago’s Uptown homeless shelter, Sarah’s Circle, 4750 N. Sheridan Road, by giving any remaining clothes and any profit to aid the organization, Easton said. Even though the event is specifically for women, Easton plans on extending it out to men and children in future events.

“I think it will be a nice social event beyond just being a charitable event,” said Sarah Morgan, a drop-off participant. “I think people will want to hang out and [have] a good time, and I hope they keep doing it a couple times a year.”

Morgan said she was surprised Chicago has never had an event like this one before but is excited by the prospects of it. Her friend sent her an invitation through Facebook to use her housing unit as a drop-off point. Morgan is using this as a way to get free new clothes, she said.

“It’s a plus for everyone involved to rid of your clothes and get new ones in return, hang out and help charity,” Morgan said. “It’s very easy. All you have to do is drop it off. And everyone has stuff that is taking up space in their closet, so you might as well get it out and get other stuff for free.”

Easton said she feels fortunate to have the event at Empty Bottle. They have been open to having unique occasions like craft shows in previous years inside their doors, Easton said.

“They were really nice and let us use their space on a Sunday afternoon,” Easton said. “[They] have been supportive so far with this. It’s close for a lot of people and is easy to get to and doesn’t cost any money to get, which is nice.”

Procrastination is the biggest concern Easton and Morgan share about the event. They said they fear that people will wait until the day before or the day of the event to donate clothes. At this point, more than 200 people have committed to attending and donating in the event, Easton said.

“I’m a little nervous because people aren’t dropping their clothes off ahead of time,” Easton said. “If 200 people drop off their clothes on the day of, it’s going to be chaos.”

Milne said she and her friends are very excited about the event because it will give them an opportunity to equally obtain all they gave in the swap.

“There are things I am getting rid of that I have a hard time getting rid of, but I know in this group it’s going to find a good home,” Milne said.

For more information, visit ChicagoClothingSwap.Wordpress.com.