One space, three ingredients: clothing, colleagues, conversations

Snacks, music, clothes racks—that's all it took to transform our Munich showroom into a small fashion boutique for an evening. Instead of emails and meetings, this time the focus was on exchange, sustainability, and new favorite pieces. 

Vinted feeling in the office: how the format worked

A clothing swap party is the perfect combination of closet detox, networking, and sustainable consumption. The principle was deliberately kept simple – Vinted in real life, right in the office: colleagues brought in well-preserved clothing that they no longer wear, received a voucher for each item they handed in, and could use it to "shop" for new favorite pieces from the collection. Any remaining items were then donated. 

However, the evening was about more than just new clothes:

• Exchange & networking: Colleagues from different departments engaged in conversation in a relaxed atmosphere. 
• Sustainability brought to life: Clothes were given a second life instead of ending up in the closet or trash. 
• A culture of appreciation: No shaming—neither for size, style, nor taste. 

Between clothes racks and mirrors, the result was a mixture of after-work gathering and pop-up store.  

The results of the evening  

A total of 170 items of clothing were brought along, 90 of which found a new home that same evening. Around 30 colleagues took part in the clothing swap party. All remaining clothes were donated to AWM (Abfallwirtschaftsbetrieb München, Munich Waste Management Company). The collected old clothes are carefully sorted by AWM, reused as second-hand items wherever possible, and the remaining textiles are professionally recycled to a high standard, with over 90 percent being recycled in accordance with circular economy guidelines. 

“The clothing swap party was a complete success! Seven of my items found new owners, and I found seven new favorite pieces. And all in a great atmosphere. I'm looking forward to the next one!” says Lara Maaß, SEO manager at BurdaForward, enthusiastically. 

“I'm a big fan of the clothing swap party at Burda. My old treasures found a new home and I discovered lots of great new clothes for myself! It's like shopping, only better – second-hand fashion is not only good for your wallet, but also for the environment. A real win-win situation for everyone,” says Hanna Hieronymus, Junior Manager of Communications and Projects at BurdaVerlag. 

Small effort, big impact: lots of new outfits, lots of conversations—and a very straightforward contribution to greater sustainability in everyday life.  

You can find more insights into our culture and jobs on our careers page and our social media channels (@burdakarriere)—maybe you'll be part of the next round?