Pridefest’s clothing swap helps locals upgrade their wardrobe

One of Sault Pridefest’s most notable events made an exciting return to the Holiday Inn Express this afternoon.

Running from noon to 5 p.m., the Out of the Closet Clothing Swap invited dozens of locals to browse from a wide collection of clothing items. The event was completely free, while donations were accepted to future Pridefest events – specifically to the clothing swap.

Sault Pride chair Amanda Zuke says this event in particular is an incredibly impactful one, especially for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

“It’s an initiative that’s available to anyone, but it was originally conceived to help support the trans community by making a new wardrobe achievable,” she told SooToday. “Very often, people in the queer community live in poverty. If you’re already living with limited means, having to change out your whole wardrobe to reflect who you are is almost impossible for some people.”

“As a committee, we want to make sure that everyone is getting something from it – materially and instrumentally.”

Zuke says they received clothing donations from a number of generous residents and organizations across the Sault to help make the clothing swap a successful event.  

“We have a great relationship with the community, and people seem to love donating to this,” she says. “People are so supportive of folks changing their lives, sometimes just by changing their clothes.”

For a full list of Pridefest’s remaining schedule, visit here.