How This For That allows you to swap your closet with people around India

Swapped accessories

Your girl gang always has your back. When you're searching for the perfect outfit, often the pièce de résistance comes from a girl friend or sister's wardrobe. Trading or borrowing clothes with your squad is what turns friends into sisters. And Nancy Bhasin, founder-CEO of This For That (TFT), and co-founder Vaybhav Singh, are keen to grow this circle into a community. TFT is a mobile app that facilitates pan-India swapping of clothing, accessories, and beauty, mother and kids' products.

Bhasin's son in a swapped stroller. She has also swapped toys, cloth diapers, clothes and mommy products

Bhasin highlights that the larger purpose of the platform is sustainability. As per the United Nations Environment Programme, the fashion industry accounts for over eight per cent of global carbon emissions, making the need for sustainable alternatives an urgent one. TFT also partners with several fashion platforms to sell their deadstock, saving it from landfills.

Vaybhav Singh; Nancy Bhasin

The test app was launched in Delhi in 2016, and went live across India in 2019. She observes that unlike the West, India had not warmed up to the idea of buying pre-loved items, but felt it would work well for consumers considering we're a sharing community and a value-conscious market. The entrepreneur started with swapping parties to break the ice, build a community and allow people to get to know the person they were swapping with, making it less of a taboo to buy pre-loved products; much like sharing closets with a friend. Swaps are different from thrifting. The founder explains that with swaps, you get equally valuable products in return instead of depreciating an item's value to ensure it gets thrifted or sold.

Tanvi Chandawarkar, a Bengaluru-based chef, who has been on the app since 2019, shares, "I've become conscious of my shopping habits, and am happy to see so many women on the app making a lifestyle shift." She likes their personal touch; for a few swaps, it's possible to know who one's swap sisters are in terms of clothing size and style. With a broadcast message shared on one's feed, you can tap into this tight-knit community for an emergency outfit or if you're decluttering your closet. The only thing that you have to pay for is shipping. "I still have a handwritten note that came with my first swap," Chandawarkar reveals. Bhasin, who hasn't shopped in four years, adds, "Two-way swaps aren't always possible. We have closed currency or credit. Users can swap for credit and use it to ‘swap buy' from someone else."

Log on to thisforthat.mobi or Google Play and App Store