The sight of 20 fashionistas crammed into Swirl, a clothing boutique, pawing through clothes on a Sunday afternoon is not unusual.

What's strange is that they are completely ignoring racks of colourful new pieces along the walls.

Instead, the women are eagerly rummaging though piles of second-hand clothes. They are part of a new trend - swop meets - where participants take along their cast-offs and, in exchange, have their pick of other folks' second-hand duds.

Each participant - in Swirl's case, it allows fewer than 50 people to attend each swop meet - can take home as many pieces as they want, for free. Of course, soiled or torn clothes - not to mention cat fights - are banned.

Whether it is the desire to find a cool-looking vintage item, or the chance to pick up a great piece for zilch, or simply the thrill of the hunt, one thing is sure: Swop meets are gaining popularity here.

Several have sprung up in the past year, either as physical events or online exchanges, such as Swirl's monthly Swirl Swap Swop; Swop!; and BookCrossing Singapore's regular book swops.

Over at Swirl, Urban spoke to Annabelle Fernandez, a 24-year-old magazine writer who was at the boutique's third swop meet last month. Showing off a prized find - a blue and white polka-dot blouse - she declared: "One man's meat is another man's poison."

Her joy is understandable: Swop meets are the answer to every addicted, but penniless, shopping queen.

New as they might be to Singapore, swop meets are a popular concept in the United States. They date back to the 1960s when car fanatics met annually to swop vehicle parts, such as at the Southwest Swap Meet held in Texas.

Today, such meets have diverged from their early masculine origins to involve items like clothes, books and old cameras.

The organisers of Swirl Swap Swop and Swop! both say they were inspired by two separate New York swop meets.

Journalist Tessa Wong, 23, organiser of Swop!, says: "I attended the Swap-O-Rama-Rama while studying in New York. There were tables and piles of clothes everywhere and tailors were on hand to provide instant alteration services."

Swirl co-owner and swop meet organiser Evelyn Foo, 32, proudly attests to being the chief pioneer behind such events in Singapore. "It's a good opportunity to bring people together and meet our customers."

The boutique provides a comfy atmosphere for the events, with treats like gourmet cupcakes. It isn't hard to see why the participant spots fill up fast.

Taking part is easy, too. Just drop an e-mail to the boutique with your contact details. Sign-ups are done on a first-come-first- served basis, and a set of swop rules is issued to every participant to ensure pleasant swopping.

Swop!, a new bi-monthly swop event which began last month, is already a hit. Despite only word-of-mouth publicity, 60 participants turned up instead of the expected 20.

Wong's memorable finds of an almost-new Louis Vuitton wallet and a vintage striped dress that "was a perfect fit" show that swop meets are quite the opposite of dingy flea markets. It's ecologically beneficial, too, reckons Wong, as it encourages recycling and reduces wastage.

Swop meets help the community in other ways. Swop! participants are charged a $5 entrance fee which goes to charities such as Migrant Voices, which aids migrant workers here. Both Swirl and Swop! also donate leftover clothes to organisations like the Salvation Army.

Online swops are also gaining recognition among net-savvy Singaporean shoppers.

Transactions occur daily on online forums and communities such as Sgselltrade, though largely on a one-to-one basis. Clothes and accessories of similar value are traded via meetings or mail.

In addition, an online Singaporean community, BookCrossing Singapore, regularly meets to swop books among members. Alva Chew, 26, business owner and community moderator, says these swops are conducted "to create one big virtual library of books that can be shared among book lovers".

But some swops have not been so hot. Take one for sneakers held recently, the Sneakerhead Swap Meet. It was held at Clarke Quay to mark the 25th anniversary of the classic Nike Air Force 1 sneaker model, and limited-edition models were displayed for swopping or selling.

However, few transactions were made. Mandeep Chopra, 30, co-organiser of the event and owner of sneaker shop Limited Edt, says: "Collectors are usually very focused on what they want and unless their desired model and size is available, they will not want to swop."

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