It took Leslie Halperin (left), Founder of The Clothes Exchange a good long time to find her professional passion, and once she did, it didn’t surprise too many people to learn that it combined two of her passions, clothes and helping people in need.

In 2001, frustrated that she had a closet full of clothes and still “nothing to wear”, Leslie invited a few well dressed friends to empty their closets of the clothes they never wore and they got together to exchange. The women quickly recognized the opportunity to turn the gathering into a revenue generator and together decided to donate the money to charity – and The Clothes Exchange was born.

In 2009, more than 500 women cleaned out their closets and shopped the Burlington Clothes Exchange. Since the first event in Leslie’s living room, a Steering Committee has taken charge of Burlington events and under their leadership, The Burlington Clothes Exchange has raised nearly $100,000 for nonprofits working to improve women’s lives.

In 2008, Leslie quit her job and since then has been dedicated to developing The Clothes Exchange. 

Leslie lives with her family in Burlington Vermont, where even though sometimes it’s too cold to be cute, she tries to dress with style!